Cobras hit back: CSA knew we weren’t going to pick three black players

Cricket South Africa said on Tuesday that they have launched an investigation into why the Cape Cobras are not meeting their transformation targets in their ongoing four-day game against the Warriors at Newlands, but the franchise itself said it was a selection that was already approved by the mother body at the weekend.

The Cobras are only fielding two Black African players in the match against the Warriors, one less than the required target, but they do have seven players of colour in their team, one more than the stipulated six.

Thando Ntini was one of only two black African players picked by the Cobras. (Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images)

Their selection was complicated by the return of Proteas Dane Piedt, George Linde and Zubayr Hamza.

Cape Cobras CEO Nabeal Dien told The Citizen on Tuesday, however, that the franchise had been in contact with CSA since Friday and it had been given special dispensation to deviate from the prescribed target of three Black African players.

“We put forward what I believe was a fairly cogent argument to CSA and we dealt with them since Friday, having discussions with both their transformation executive and the acting director of cricket, Corrie van Zyl. They were fully aware of our reasons for the selection prior to us playing the game. We communicated and engaged with CSA and as far as we are concerned the matter was concluded.

“We made the decision for both cricketing and transformation reasons. We are playing seven Black players as opposed to the required six. But if we had to play three Black Africans then we would have had to leave out national players. Is that what CSA want? Because according to their rules we are not utilising quotas but targets, which by definition are not imposed on you,” Dien said.

The incident adds further strain to the relationship between CSA and the Western Province Cricket Association, who were placed under administration by the national body last month.

Dien said that controversy had no connection to the current issue over selection.

The CEO called for CSA to implement the suggestion made by the franchise coaches at their recent conference that the transformation targets for their teams should be calculated over the season as a whole, as is the case with the national team.

“What happens with the Proteas should apply to franchise level as well, that’s something the coaches debated at their conference. Then the transformation targets are calculated over 12 months. We’re just waiting for CSA to get the resolution done.

“But there shouldn’t be any inquiry over what we have done this week, although we were told that it would be considered at board level at a later stage,” Dien said.

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