When Rabada Took A Stance Against Cricket South Africa's Selection Policy
Kagiso Rabada (Twitter)
At the height of the ICC World Cup 2019 in England, Cricket South Africa's (CSA) transformation policy for the national side to truly reflect the nation's culture and heritage had become a point of attention and debate within the cricket fraternity.
CSA had formalised a transformation scheme at the directives of the government, as per which 55% (or six) players of the national side must be players of colour, including two Black Africans, in all formats during a season.
The racial quota policy was passed in 2016 as a futuristic response to the nation's cruel history where it had to deal with a discriminating apartheid regime which robbed the majority of its humanitarian rights and allowed only white players to represent South Africa at the international stage.
The country gained freedom from centuries of Black Lives oppression back in 1992 but the wounds and the trauma of the dreadful past persist, especially as players of colour continue to face issues and obstacles domestically and internationally.
When Rabada Spoke On Transformation Policy
While the transformation policy was designed to level up the field for players coming from the historically marginalised section of the society, in a counter-affect, South Africa had experienced a major talent exodus of white players from the country's domestic set-up, reducing the competitive levels and ultimately hurting the national side.
Weighing in on the issue during the 2019 World Cup in the UK was Kagiso Rabada, statistically considered the greatest player to have emerged out of South Africa's constant drive to support players of colour and allow them to expand their wings at the international stage.
Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, the ace speedster gave a measured response on the matter by stating that opportunities must be present for all involved but the colour of the person shouldn't dictate one's selection.
"At a professional level, players should be picked on merit," Rabada told ESPNcricinfo. "In the past, it was an unfair system. Right now it should be fair, but just because you are black you should not be gifted opportunities."
Rabada was one of the three players of colour featuring in South Africa's 15-member squad for the World Cup in England, for which, notably, CSA had failed to follow the transformation targets set by the government.
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