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South Africa’s fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has addressed a sensitive issue concerning his status as the sole Black African player in the country’s squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. According to the national guidelines, the South African team’s Starting XI must include six players of color, with at least two being Black Africans.
Rabada’s presence as the lone Black African in the 15-man squad has sparked significant debate and criticism directed at Cricket South Africa (CSA) for not adhering to these regulations. This marks the first instance since 2015 that only one Black African player has been included in South Africa’s squad and the first time since 2016 that the team has comprised just six players of color at a cricket World Cup.
Kagiso Rabada speaks out about being the sole Black African in South Africa’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad.
When questioned about being the sole Black African player in the entire squad, Rabada dismissed any notion of feeling pressured. Instead, he emphasized that he preferred not to dwell on the issue and instead stay completely focused on the upcoming tournament.
“I didn’t put any more pressure on me at all. It would be such a heavy thought, during a World Cup, thinking about yourself being the only black player in a team. That seems like torture for me. That just takes away from focus,” Rabada was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.
Rabada further expressed that despite being a black player, he acknowledges that he is not immune to being dropped from the team if his performance doesn’t meet expectations.
“I’m a black player, yes. If I don’t feel like I should have been there on merit and if people don’t feel that way, then it’s fine. I’m not invincible. I can be dropped as well but I believe in myself,” the 29-year-old added.
Following the squad selection, South Africa coach Rob Walter emphasized that he had meticulously chosen the strongest squad available. However, he urged Cricket South Africa (CSA) to evaluate the state of domestic cricket to foster the development of more world-class Black African players ahead of the next World Cup.
“For me, it was just about winning” – Kagiso Rabada
Rabada also took a moment to consider the media scrutiny surrounding player selection and its potential psychological impact on players.
“These are certain challenges (we face) and you ask a valid question because you wonder how players must have felt in the past, how players in the future might feel. And these are things we need to address. For me, it was just about winning (the World Cup). But for other players, you never know how it feels. And also, what the media has to say about the situation can really mess up the players’ psychology or psyche,” the right-arm quick added.
Despite facing scrutiny over the selection of black players, South Africa delivered an exceptional performance in the 2024 T20 World Cup, culminating in their first-ever final appearance in a senior ICC tournament, ultimately losing to India.
