Arendse set to face tough meetings

The pressure is growing on Norman Arendse, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) president, as leading figures in the game prepare for a set of hastily-arranged meetings in Johannesburg to discuss selection and quota issues.

Logan Naidoo, the manager of the squad in Bangladesh and vice-president of CSA, has flown back to South Africa amid rumours that Arendse will face a vote of no confidence from senior figures next week.

The current controversy stems from the squad selected to tour Bangladesh. Initially the 14-man party was rejected by Arendse for not conforming to CSA quota requirements which state the need for seven players of colour. The squad only included four - later five when Robin Peterson replaced Paul Harris - and it required the intervention of Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, to release the team.

Majola and Arendse issued a joint statement apologising for the public nature of the disagreements but tensions below the surface are still running high.

Adding to the debate are comments from Butana Komphela, chairman for the parliamentary portfolio committee on sport, who has said that the CSA president should have the right to veto a South African team that doesn't meet the transformation policy.

SABC news reported that Komphela said that while parliament will never select sporting teams, they will continue to insist they are representative of the country.