racial mix of the side

[Zimfanatic69]

i know this is a hot potato and i do not want to start a debate that goes off into bad territory but i was thinking about the international side and the mix of it as i think it needs to represent the country.

south africa have with their rugger side a minimum amount of spaces in local and national sides for non whites.

i think zim national team should do the same and should have at least 4 places for non whites. i think this would help to make the sport more inclusive and get more non whites interested. the future of the game in our country is non white so we must make it so.

i apologise if this is controversial and i do not want to upset anyone on this. but i really think this is right. i mean should we really be playing cremer over utseya for instance ?

[maehara]

ZC just *stopped* using quotas (not that they ever admitted to doing so in the first place), and frankly I believe they have no place in sport. The national side should be the strongest possible side, based purely on ability - anything else penalises those who make the effort to improve themselves but are the "wrong" colour, while playing an intentionally under-strength side is disrespectful to your opponents.

[Zimfanatic69]

ZC just *stopped* using quotas (not that they ever admitted to doing so in the first place), and frankly I believe they have no place in sport. The national side should be the strongest possible side, based purely on ability - anything else penalises those who make the effort to improve themselves but are the "wrong" colour, while playing an intentionally under-strength side is disrespectful to your opponents.

you make some good points but i think for south africa for rugby they got there in the end didn't they - with our help

[eugene]

This is certainly a hot potato issue. Being a rugby follower I know that the quota system has largely failed in South African rugby. The World Cup Final team from 1995 had one black player, the 2007 team featured only two black players. I don't think a quota system is necessary in Zimbabwean cricket. The majority of domestic players are black and the team already has Masakadza, Taibu, Chigumbura, and Utseya as fixtures in the side.

Quota systems may be useful if black players were in the minority domestically, but with so many playing for our domestic teams there will always be a steady flow of black players into the national side.

[Zimfanatic69]

This is certainly a hot potato issue. Being a rugby follower I know that the quota system has largely failed in South African rugby. The World Cup Final team from 1995 had one black player, the 2007 team featured only two black players. I don't think a quota system is necessary in Zimbabwean cricket. The majority of domestic players are black and the team already has Masakadza, Taibu, Chigumbura, and Utseya as fixtures in the side.

Quota systems may be useful if black players were in the minority domestically, but with so many playing for our domestic teams there will always be a steady flow of black players into the national side.

i like your post. you make some good points.

[eugene]

I also fear that if quota are brought in, cricket immediately becomes a politicised sport - which I think we can all agree Zimbabwe has had too much of.

[Zimfanatic69]

I also fear that if quota are brought in, cricket immediately becomes a politicised sport - which I think we can all agree Zimbabwe has had too much of.

with bvute and chingoka it already is.

[eugene]

They have at least been neutralised by David Coltart it seems.

[aydee]

It's also fairly irrelevant at the moment, as almost any Zim side would contain at least 4 "non-whites". At first class level, the vast majority of the players are "non-white".

[Boundary]

I've never been convinced by quota or affirmative action arguments, they simply reflect impatience. It's always more natural, more effective to put effort on grassroot levels, then allowing natural talent to rise to the top. ZC has done that (crudely) and Masakadza Jnr and Chatara are talented enough to compete with Jarvis and Rainsford. Bottom up, not top down.