For Club or Country…

There are 50 million South Africans. Of that, approximately 24.5 million are male. To break it down further, about 13 million, give or take a few, are between the ages of 16 and 35 years old. There are 11 places in the national cricket team. 5 of those are pretty much cemented. This leaves 6 much coveted spots to be fought over by these millions.

Cricket is widely regarded as the unofficial national sport of South Africa. It is the second most popular sport in the country, and the most popular amongst English-speaking nationals. School boys dream of walking out onto the pitch at the Wanderers, dressed in the “Green and Gold,” representing the land of their birth. They envision themselves stepping up to the crease; Gunn & Moore bat in hand (the bat of choice for most South Africans), in crisp whites, Protea emblem proudly emblazoned on their chest, playing England in a test at Lords.

These are the dreams of a nation who give their all to win, be it representing their school, province or South Africa. Their talents are cultivated in the hopes that they will one day play for the Proteas. Then one day a Pakistani gets selected to play in the World Cup team. I don’t mean for this to sound xenophobic in any way, but it hardly seems fair for the millions of South African boys who have toiled under the African sun, sacrificed weekends, nights out, childhood fun and even academics to pay their dues to the South African cricketing fraternity, with their eyes ever-fixed on the ultimate prize-representing their country. In essence, the selection of a Pakistani has robbed a South African of their dream, their place in the national side. I am all for the idea that we need to pick the best eleven and give our country the best chance at winning the World Cup. But this is the WORLD CUP. This is not the IPL or any other such franchise league. This is the most prestigious trophy in world cricket. It is a tournament played by countries. Some reports on the 2011 World Cup state that there are no fewer than 25 South African born players in this year’s tournament. In essence, South Africa could have two squads playing in this World Cup. Surely then, this cannot be labelled a tournament of countries. South Africa should be represented by the best eleven South African cricketers, India by the best Indians, the Netherlands by the best Dutch players and England by the best English players and so on and so forth.

I have absolutely nothing against Imraan Tahir, he seems a very talented, more than capable cricketer. But there are plenty leagues in the world for cricketers to be transferred and paid what they are worth. The World Cup, however, should showcase the best homegrown talent that each country has to offer.