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'It's A Shame' - AB De Villiers Slams Racial Discrimination Claims In SA's Squad For T20 World Cup 

Rabada is the only black player in SA's World Cup squad (X)Rabada is the only black player in SA's World Cup squad (X)

Since South Africa’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2024 was announced, there has been a lot of discussion about the racial composition of the team. Former South African skipper AB de Villiers noted that he wasn't surprised the conversation in his home country was focused on racial quotas.

The 15-man Proteas squad for the tournament in the United States and the West Indies, running from June 1-29, includes nine white players, one black African—fast bowler Kagiso Rabada—and five mixed race or Asian origin players. Another black player, Lungi Ngidi, is included in the traveling reserves.

This marks the first time since 2016, during the T20 World Cup in India, that a South African squad for an ICC event is so predominantly white.

In 2016, when de Villiers was in the team, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced formal targets for racial representation, to be assessed over the course of a season. These targets stipulated that a maximum of five white players could be included in an 11-man team, with at least two black Africans.

"It's a shame going into a tournament with the focus on that. I mean, it's nothing new, it's just a shame. Luckily, this time around, I've had nothing to do with anything over there. I'm just a spectator," said AB de Villiers in an interaction with PTI facilitated by 'Jio Cinema.'

Amidst all the talk about the composition of the squad, South Africa’s white-ball coach Rob Walter said: "My number one imperative is to create a winning Proteas team," when asked about the predominantly white makeup of the 2024 T20 World Cup squad.

The Aiden Markram-led Proteas will begin their campaign against the Netherlands in New York on June 8.