England Legend Fans South Africa 'Quota' Controversy: 'Pick Players On Merit'
Last Updated:
Former cricketer Allan Lamb has called for an end of the South Africa's 'quota' system. He believes inequalities don't exist anymore and players should be picked on 'merit'.
South Africa-born former England international Allan Lamb believes the Proteas could be a 'stronger' side if they picked players on 'merit', instead of the transformation racial-quota system, which aims to promote inclusivity and correct historical wrongs against colored citizens of the country.
The transformation targets require the Proteas to field an average of six coloured players, including two Black Africans, averaged over the course of a season. The policy has been credited for helping achieve a level playing field in the sport — with Temba Bavuma's World Test Championship 2023-25 winners the biggest example — but continues to be argued against by a section of stakeholders.
'Rugby seems to have got it right, but cricket hasn't got it right," Lamb told PTI. 'The (Quota) system has been overdone. It's now basically, you are only allowed a certain amount of white players playing."
'South Africa could be a stronger team if they pick players on merit (and not on quota). Those days of Apartheid are long gone. The coloureds, the Indians and the blacks and the whites, they've got to work properly together and say, 'hey, if that guy's good enough, he must play'. We must pick the best team we can have," he added.
Although the Apartheid era is over, South Africa remains a severely divided country, where most of the wealth is held by the White minority, who make up less than eight percent, according to the latest data. Researchers for years have contended the illusion of 'merit', saying sporting merit is usually a result of better opportunities available to the wealthier sections of society, who don't have to fight discrimination on a daily basis.
'The ICC is going to have to do something about it because the format they have for international Test matches, people are not too sure what is going on there as it's done over two years. There are some teams, like everyone said, that South Africa qualified due to the fact that they played all the weaker teams. But that wasn't South Africa's problem. That was the ICC's problem. They came up with that," he said.
'And, I believe, you need a two-tier structure. And that's got to come in very rapidly. The ICC chairman, he's got to sit down, otherwise, cricket's going to be at a loss. You need strong teams playing each other but they've also got to play the weaker teams," Lamb added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
36 minutes ago
- India Today
WI vs AUS: Steve Smith shares update on finger injury before Grenada Test
Steve Smith said he hasn't felt any pain and has recovered well from the finger injury he sustained during the World Test Championship 2023-25 final against South Africa at Lord's. The veteran dislocated his finger while attempting a catch in the slips during the summit clash and was subsequently taken to the hospital for he didn't require surgery, Smith missed the opening Test against the West Indies, which Australia won by 159 runs at the Kensington Oval to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. However, the 36-year-old sounded confident about returning for the second Test, scheduled to begin on July 3 at the National Cricket Stadium in St George's, me, it'll just feel like training as normal, I think," Smith was quoted as saying by ICC."I don't really feel any pain or anything. (It's) just getting used to the splint on and the slight limited movement. It's not too bad, I've got a lot of movement there now, so that feels good. Hitting the ball felt completely fine.' Smith, however, might not field in the slip cordon given his recent injury. But he's unlikely to face issues while batting. "Fielding some balls in front of the wicket will probably be the strangest thing for me, I don't think I've ever done that in a Test match. Fielding at either probably mid-on or mid-off or fine leg, is a bit different to standing at the second or first slip."If Smith plays, Josh Inglis is likely to sit out after scoring only five and 12 in the opening Test. Smith has an exceptional Test record against the West Indies, having notched 872 runs at an average of 124.57 with three hundreds and as many fifties. - Ends
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
AUS vs WI: ‘Not his job to bat' – Steve Smith takes a dig at former Australia cricketer
Australia's Steve Smith (Ben Whitley/PA via AP) Australian vice-captain Steve Smith has defended national batting coach Michael Di Venuto against criticism from former Test wicketkeeper Ian Healy, who claimed Australia's batting performance had regressed under Di Venuto's tenure since 2021. Smith, speaking to reporters in Bridgetown on Sunday, rejected Healy's assessment while providing updates on his own finger injury recovery and potential return for the second Test against West Indies in St Georges. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Smith dismissed Healy's suggestion that Di Venuto should be under pressure for the team's recent batting performances. "(Di Venuto's) not the one out there actually doing the batting. Guys have to be able to figure it out themselves out in the middle sometimes. You can't have someone holding your hand out there," Smith said. 03:11 India's Day 2 at the Nets in Edgbaston | IND vs ENG Test Series Smith further defended Di Venuto's capabilities and contribution to the team. "He works as hard as anyone. He knows batting inside out. He's seen cricket all around the world, and knows all the conditions. He's done a wonderful job for a long time now, and the boys really enjoyed working with him," Smith stated. The criticism from Healy came after Australia's top order struggled in the first Test against West Indies, with Cameron Green scoring 3 and 15, and Josh Inglis making 5 and 12. "Australian cricket's batting head coach and every state batting coach, should be under pressure because there's not enough runs being scored around the nation either," Healy told SEN. Quiz: Who's that IPL player? "Michael Di Venuto, a friend of mine who is a good coach and a good man has held the job since mid-2021. In this time, our national team batting has regressed in performance at the Test level," Healy added. Statistics show a decline in the Test batting average of Australia's top three from 45.94 in 2022 to 27.04 in 2025. Smith missed the first Test due to a compound dislocation in his finger during the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's. "I looked straight down and I was like, 'That doesn't look right. That looks pretty disgusting.' I wasn't sure of the extent of the damage," Smith recalled about his injury. During his recovery in New York, Smith maintained his practice in a unique way. Arshdeep vs Morkel: WWE at the Nets! | Team India's Lighter Moment in Birmingham "My mate actually told me about it. Underneath this bridge, there was a batting cage, and he was able to throw me a few balls there. It was nice to hit a few balls," Smith said. Smith expects to return for the second Test, though with modified fielding positions due to his injury. "I don't feel any pain or anything. It's all feeling good, just getting used to the splint on and the slight, limited movement," Smith said. "It'll be just training as normal, and then probably fielding some balls in front of the wicket, which would probably be the strangest thing for me. I don't think I've ever done that in a Test match," he added. Smith also expressed support for struggling teammates Green and Sam Konstas. "These guys are good players. We've got to give them an opportunity, it doesn't come around straight away. I think back to the start of my career, I think it took me 11 innings to score a hundred. It can take some time," Smith said. The second Test between West Indies and Australia is scheduled to begin in St George's on Thursday. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
'Ek hi format se liya h bas': Ravindra Jadeja's perfect reply as teammates tease him at WC anniversary party
Team India In Birmingham, Team India took a sweet pause from Test match prep to celebrate the one-year anniversary of their historic 2024 T20 World Cup triumph. The BCCI shared a heartwarming video showing the current Test squad cutting a cake to mark the moment that ended India's decade-long wait for an ICC trophy. — BCCI (@BCCI) Players who were part of that unbeaten World Cup squad — Rishabh Pant , Arshdeep Singh , Jasprit Bumrah , Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja among others were all smiles as they relived memories of the famous night in the Caribbean. Bumrah, who was named Player of the Series back then, was asked by his teammates to do the honours and cut the cake. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! What followed was pure dressing-room fun. The players fed each other cake and shared a few laughs. In a playful moment, both Pant and Bumrah offered a piece to Jadeja, teasing him with 'Happy retirement,' to which Jadeja quickly quipped, 'Ek hi format se liya h bas,' reminding everyone he had only stepped away from T20Is. India's Day 2 at the Nets in Edgbaston | IND vs ENG Test Series India's 2024 T20 World Cup win remains fresh in every fan's mind. Led by stellar performances with the bat and ball, India stayed unbeaten throughout the tournament and lifted the trophy by defeating South Africa in a high-pressure final. This light-hearted celebration in Birmingham served as a reminder of the spirit that carried India to glory and the memories that continue to push this squad forward as they look to bounce back in the Test series against England. Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
