The best of South Africa's coloureds (11 December 1998)

11 December 1998

The best of South Africa's coloureds

Tony Becca

PORT ELIZABETH: The United Cricket Board of South Africa's weekend declaration that there should be no national cricket team without one or more of what it calls players of colour has been greeted with mixed reactions.

To the coloureds, obviously, it has been something to celebrate; and to the whites; also obviously, there have been prophecies of problems ahead.

According to the coloureds, they have been robbed of opportunities for too long, if there is to be a new South Africa, coloureds, which includes blacks and Indians, must be represented in everything South African, and it matters not who will be sacrificed in the beginning or how it affects the performance of the team.

According to the whites, legislated selection based on the colour of one's skin has no place in sport, and not only could it perpetrate the colour problem in the country, but it could also make it worse.

There are also those who argue that the declaration, the plan, opens the door for demands that apart from one or more players of colour, there should be at least one black, one Indian, and one coloured in every national team. And that is possible.

Although the selection of Herschelle Gibbs for the second Test against the West Indies has been greeted as a move in the right direction, blacks are whispering that they have been fooled - that Gibbs is a coloured, not a black, and what they want is a black player, like fast bowler Makhaya Ntini, in the team and a guarantee that there will always be one.

Legislation or not, the problem which the blacks, the Indians, and the coloureds have is this: although the development programmes in the townships have been going well, although there are some promising youngsters around, and although the future looks bright, there are not too many around who, on merit, are good enough to get into a South African team.

Those who are good enough have already represented South Africa, and legislation or no legislation, plan or no plan, would likely get back into the team.

Apart from Gibbs, who is a lovely, attacking batsman, the good players are left-arm spin bowler Paul Adams who in 1996 became South Africa's youngest. Test player at 18, has taken 59 wickets in 19 Tests, and is in the current squad of 12; Ntini who has taken 10 wickets in his four Tests; and medium-pacer Roger Telemachus who has played one one-day international, failed a fitness test after being selected for last year's tour of Australia, and pulled up injured before playing a match on the recent tour of England.

There are, however, a few good ones around - three batsmen, one wicketkeeper, one fast bowler, and provided they are really afforded the opportunity, they could, in a short while, be numbered among South Africa's best.

The players to look for are Ashwell Prince - attractive 21-year-old Western Province left-handed middle-order batsmen who represented South Africa's Under 19 team and boasts a first class top score of 125 not out; Justin Ontong - 18-year-old Boland number three batsman with a first class top score of 42; Finley Brooker - 25-year-old Griqualand West middle-order batsman who has represented South Africa's Under 24 and boasts a top score of 89; Lulama Masikazana - 25-year-old Eastern Province wicketkeeper who has represented South Africa Under 19 and Under 24 and has a first class top score of 52; and Phenyo Victor Mpitsang - 18-year-old Free State fast bowler who played in the Youth World Cup later this year.

The best prospect is probably Mpitsang who shares the new ball with Allan Donald at Free State. He is tall and slim, and with an action which reminds of Franklyn Stephenson, he is not only fast, but he also swings the ball and bowls a well disguised slower delivery.

There may not be many coloured players ready, on merit, to represent South Africa. There are a few, however, who, all things equal, look set to become its future stars.

Source :: The Jamaica Gleaner (https://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/)