Another day, another tough slog for South Africa’s cricket administrators. If they had hoped that the question marks surrounding Vernon Philander’s selection during the Cricket World Cup semi-final would just go away, they were sadly mistaken.

For the first time since the furore unfolded, somebody in South Africa’s management team has categorically stated there was interference with the team. Horn was hesitant to discuss exact details and did not point any fingers, but according to Eyewitness News (EWN), said the team that played in the quarterfinal against Sri Lanka was supposed to be the same team that played in the semi-final. That was changed because of outside influence, according to reports, a text message sent to the Russell Domingo at the eleventh hour asking him to make a call on including either a partially fit Vernon Philander or Farhaan Behardien in the side ahead of other players namely Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw. Since the reports first emerged, CSA have categorically denied interference and refused to comment any further, but the story has not rested.

The matter has been a massive setback for South Africa’s cricket administrators. The issue is not that Philander was selected. He is a good enough player to walk into any team (including the South African one) on any given day. To point a finger at Philander as an individual is obtuse. According to reports, the man himself declined to play, but was forced to. AB de Villiers was reportedly so upset that he almost refused to play himself.

But Philander’s performance on the day as an individual did not cost South Africa that match, there were other players far worse. The issue here is that there was, apparently, blatant interference from outside the core group of selectors. If the interference came from government (which sports minister Fikile Mbablula has vehemently denied once more) then that would be considered unconstitutional and against the governance guidelines form the International Cricket Council (ICC). Not that the ICC are a bastion of morality, of course, but if these laws are followed to a the letter, then technically South Africa could be barred from international competition, a threat currently facing Sri Lanka. Board members interfering toe a finer line, but it has to be asked why they would be pushed to interfere? It’s no secret that government has certain “targets” for what they consider to be adequate “representation” at national level. It’s also no secret that there is a big push from government for national sporting teams to meet these targets.

The word “quota” is a loaded one that carries many negative connotations and implies that a player is only in the team because of a specific factor (in this case, the colour of his skin). However, there is no ‘official’ quota system at national level, unlike at domestic level. That is partly because South Africa have produced enough players of colour to be there on merit. Similarly, Philander is not and never was a ‘quota’ player, certainly not by the loaded definition of the word.

There is nothing wrong with having a representative team. In fact, it’s something South Africa should strive towards and that is exactly where the issue becomes incredibly convoluted. The question here is not whether Philander is good enough to play for South Africa or not (he is), it’s that he was picked for the wrong reasons on the given day. In fact, South African selectors erred on many decisions before and during the World Cup and based on form, Dale Steyn should not have played in the semi-final either. Philander’s selection can be justified in a myriad of different ways. But it has nothing to do with the individual in question and everything to do with how the powers that be conducted themselves and the damage they potentially done to the trust from the public.

Philander was merely caught in the crossfire of somebody’s agenda, collateral in a battle that is being fought on the wrong turf. Because as long as cricket remains a niche sport played by privileged schools with resources ranging from the most basic requirements of kit to the more complicated like access to fields, the make-up of the national team will never transform. DM

Photo: Zimbabwean batsman Raza Butt walks off after being dismissed by South Africa’s Vernon Philander (2nd R) during their Cricket World Cup match in Hamilton, February 15, 2015. REUTERS/Nigel Marple