Not as vital as letting things happen naturally. I am sure that the likes of Dumminy/Prince/Amla would of made the team anyway but who knows? As long as there are quotas wan can not say that any player of color has made it on merit. Further it is more weird that we were banned for msny years and the world was robbed of talents like Richards, Cook, Rice, Procter, Pollock etc. for racial policies and now the world turns the other way when there are new racial policies.
Yes they are without a doubt. But a few years ago before AB, Dumminy and Amla we aere struggling with batting and KP left because there was no space for him. Would you say that Ntini deserves his garunteed place for the 1st test based on merit? The England team already have a player advantage for the 1st test.
A bit of poor form in the SS + Australia + what position will he bat? I am not the selector and although I doubt that the SA order wants a shuffle, but now may be the time that it DOES shuffle given the talent and depth we have in batting.
Yes. If he didn't, Lopsy would have taken his spot in Australia. I think you're oversimplifying the reason why Ntini is still in the team because he hasn't done as badly as you think. I think you're mixing his ODI form with tests and I have a tedancy to do that too. He averages 32 over the last 2 years which is commendable and he's been more consistent than Morne. He was part of the same attack the demolished the Indians for 76 and beat Australia and England away. He also had a great SSS last year where he was under pressure. Lopsy and him bowled out the Eagles for 36 and he took 26 wickets in 5 games.
KP was not in any way a candidate for a position in the South Africa batting line-up when he left. He may, possibly, if given more opportunities for Natal, have developed into a player good enough to play for South Africa.
He averaged 40 against Australia which pretty damn good. He hasn't scored as much in SSS but these aren't reasons to drop him and tinker with a batting lineup that beat the Aussies but an innings.
He also stated he's an opener now for SA and that's where his concentration lies.
Well, we can look at their FC averages in SA's domestic game. And we can look at their performance in the test side over a reasonable period of time compare to the guys they replaced. Of course, there are those whose reaction to any non-white player is to trot out the 'Q word, but they'll do that whatever the stated policy of CSA.
With all due respect, you're not exactly comparing like with like. Shades of Clive Rice's regretable drivel about 'Apartheid in reverse'. The scale of the offence, even if you think that quotas shouldn't happen, is exponentially different.
I paid 30 bucks to go and watch SA v Australia in the first test at the Wanderers.. You don't have to be "upper/middle class" to afford thirty bucks.. After over a decade of supporting SA, I've been frustrated at the quota system at provincial level, but I can safely say that the only players I think have been blatantly chosen because of their skin colour in all that time have been Robbie Peterson, Justin Ontong and Thami Tsolekile.. Not bad when you consider some of the selection shambles that English fans have had to deal with in that time..
Cruel but fair.
