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Muhammad Talha Iqbal

2023-11-0358

Aqib Ali

SS-100: Section 10

01 December 2019

Hoult, Nick. “How cricketing quota policy has impacted South Africa” The Daily Telegraph.

Telegraph Media Group, 01 July 2017. Web. 29 Nov 2019. <telegraph.co.uk>

The article, published in the renowned Telegraph, discusses the implementation of the

quota system from club to domestic to international level in South African cricket. The writer

quotes the legendary ex- South African cricketer, Barry Richards, to further his discussion

over how the imposition of quota system debunks the idea of merit based selection; instead, is

a step towards politicizing the sport. The text further highlights the players who have parted

ways with South African cricket sighting lack of opportunities due to the quota. Furthermore,

the key takeaway of this article is AB De Villiers’ account of his horror memories of the

2015 Cricket World Cup semi-final where he was forced to select players based on race

rather than his own preference as a captain. This citations helps in building the argument

where I will contend against the quota system as I firmly believe that sports is a sheer

expression of talent and it should not be used as a medium to appeal political and social

groups.

Baskar, B. “Kolpak, the reason South Africa cricket is rooting for a Brexit” The Hindu

Business Online. The Hindu Group, 25 Oct 2019. Web. 29 Nov 2019.

<thehindubusinessonline.com>
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This article is one of the latest pieces of writing after South Africa’s disastrous tour of India.

The Indian magazine’s publication quotes South African captain, Francois Du Plessis, as

attributing the series loss to the limited pool of players available for selection. The writer

traces back Du Plessis’ claim to the Kolpak deal that has attracted white South African

cricketers to play English county instead. The idea behind citing this particular article holds

conviction as it portrays the helplessness of the country’s captain and also reflects on the

ailing performance of South Africa as the tone of the writer suggests that South Africa is a

mere minnow.

“The Kolpak rule explained” ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Incorporation, 05 Jan 2017. Web. 29 Nov

2019. <espncricinfo.com>

ESPNcricinfo is cricket’s most followed website with millions of followers across the globe.

The sport’s most trustworthy website, in this article, answer the most frequently asked

questions regarding the infamous “Kolpak deal”. The article will help me explain the ruling,

history, implementation, and implications of the kolpak deals pertaining to South African

cricket; and therefore, evaluate how it contributes to the drainage of talent which ultimately

leads to limited options available for selection.

“A new racial selection policy for South African cricket” The Economist. Economist Group,

19 Sep 2016. Web. 29 Nov 2019. <economist.com>

The Economist magazine, exemplary for their reliability and credibility, offers its perspective

on the quota system. The article critiques the use of quota system as an attempt to address the

issue of under-representation of blacks in cricket. It argues, with facts, that the underlying

cause can be traced to poor facilities and training programmes at the grass root level. The

article was published soon after the official announcement of the quota system. The article

rebuts the Cricket South Africa’s justification that as 80% of the population consists of black
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Africans, they deserve the spots in the starting line-up to represent the nation. However, the

research quoted proves that 90% black Africans believe that sports should be entirely based

on the criteria of merit. Therefore, it helps establishes that the underlying motives of the

cricket board are contrasting to what they portray.

Dove, Mary Ann. “What South Africa’s top cricketers have to say about quotas” The

Conversation. The Conversation Media Group Limited, 19 Nov 2019. Web. 29 Nov

2019. <theconversation.com>

The conversation is a non-profit publication forum for researchers. The author, Dove Mary

Ann, is a consultant to Cricket South Africa and this research has been funded by them.

Therefore, the writer can be expected to provide research based analysis on the situation

regarding the quota system. The research shows findings two years after the imposition of

quotas; hence, the assessment over the effects would be accurate. Research emphasizes on

interviews from players to better understand what the quota means to the primary stakeholder

group. Key takeaway is the fact that black players do not support the system, and they want

to be selected based on merit alone. The article discusses the mental and social stigmas black

players go through when they are labelled as “quota players” and how this affects their

performance. The article is a true assessment of how far-fetched the implications are, and

help my essay in arguing for the black players being effected even more than before. The

source also offers solutions to the problems of black cricketers being underrepresented which

had no correspondence with the quota.

“Statistics”. ESPNcricinfo. ESPN Incorporation, 29 Nov 2019. Web. 29 Nov 2019.

<espncricinfo.com>

ESPNcricinfo, as mentioned above, is the go to website for all cricket statistics and figures.

Therefore, this portal on their website will be used to compare and contrast performance of
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South African cricket pre and post implementation of quota system. Furthermore, it will also

help compare the performance of black quota players with the ones who are ignored for them

and also the players who have opted for kolpak deal.