Lions81 said:
Yes, of course. But statistically speaking, of a generally similar pool of talent (eliminating children, women, and the elderly), with the assumption that talent is normally distributed, then the players selected should also be evenly distributed as well.
The reason there are so many Mumbai-area players has to do with bias towards that area as the financial and cultural capital of India, and of the tendency for higher-quality players to gravitate towards Mumbai for the belief that it will improve their chances of being picked or improve their ascent to the top, see Munaf Patel in this regard. Maharashtra also has a very high population with generally more money than the rest of India.
It also speaks to the uneven distribution of wealth, as in the case of Zimbabwe or South Africa, wealth is with the white players and not the black ones, and this wealth leads to better nutrition, physical conditioning, coaching, training and equipment, as well as to an earlier introduction to the game. So this simple statistical analysis just hints at the unfairness of South Africa or Zimbabwe being represented by 8, 9 or 10 white players. It means black players aren't getting a fair shake. Or else it would be the opposite. Unless you're going to argue that whites are genetically better than blacks at cricket, which I know you're not and no one will. So in a population of one million, 900,000 black, 100,000 white, if everyone gets the same opportunities to play, shouldn't 9 out of every 10 cricketers be black? Just a thought.
The simple statistics also scream inequity when you look at the class background of selection in the UK. There is an incredible bias towards public schoolboys - nobody is calling for quotas for state-educated kids. Cricket as a sport has been established in the white psyche for hundreds of years, and it has only been "introduced" to the indigenous population in the last thirty.
The case is very, very similar in Kenya, except the players are of Asian rather than white descent (so nobody notices). The fact remains, black players are coming through the ranks. Players like Taibu (who I rate as close-on best keeper in the world, and is my second-favourite player in the world after Harmy), Masakadza, Olonga and the late Trevor Madondo were making it through the ranks [see guys like Ntini in SA and van Rooi in Namibia] and given time, a Zimbabwe side will contain a more representative black/white balance.
Look at football in the UK, for example, I hardly think there's a genetic bias here [unlike there can be argued with sprinting], and the representation of blacks in the professional game is much more equitable after years of under-representation followed by the gradual infusion into the culture - it hasn't happened yet to the Asian "community", however once it produces a really good player (no, Harpal Singh doesn't count) I expect the realignment to occur.
Oh yeah, another thing - off that logic, those of Asian descent are over-represented in the England sides. The U19 side had an all-Asian slip cordon last summer (Patel/Shafayat/Bopara) - that proves absolutely nothing. There's never going to be equity in class or race distribution unless all "communities" have precisely involvements and habits.
Benny - I agree with you about the idea of boosted confidence in ethnic groups to see "their" players perform well, which is why I feel that Quotas have a place in Domestic cricket in that kind of situation, however when it comes to representative International level, I don't think it has a place.
As for that "squad", it's an utter disgrace. No disrespect to the players involved, but it is utterly appalling to see a side like that playing International cricket. Last time they toured Sri Lanka, Vaas took 8-19 and skittled them for 38. What price a repeat, with a side short of any proper batsmen (or bowlers, for that matter)? Anyway, where's Blessing Mahwire?!
ICC, get a spine, and ban them for playing politics with the game. Take a leaf out of FIFA's book - they banned Bangladesh and threatened Azerbaijan with the same action when the government got involved with the football teams, only relenting when the previous status quo was restored.
