Pitched online by Bobby
This week the Minister of Sport, Fikile Mbalula, confirmed that the quota system would continue with the direct selection of black players into national codes using the adopted scorecard contained in the transformation charter.
I simply can’t agree with quotas! Never have and unlikely to ever do! It’s artificial, degrading to the selected quota players, undermines the credibility of the various sporting codes and ultimately it discriminates. The result is the same as in the past under the previous government – the only thing that differs is the reasoning!
- Mark Boucher
There is some pressure on Mark Boucher to retain his place in the Protea test side. As a fellow East London boy, he is one of my favourite players and I desperately hope that he can return to form against Sri Lanka. Batting at number 7 is a very difficult and unthankful position for many reasons.
If the selectors were to consider alternatives, please let them not consider the thought of using AB de Villiers as a test keeper. He is arguably one of the best fielders in world; he is also in the exclusive top bracket when it comes to batting and in my opinion if AB were to keep in test cricket, the Proteas would lose more than they would gain.
If there were an obvious keeper to replace Boucher I would not object, but it seems there is no real favourite which leads me to say: stick with Boucher for the moment as his experience, fight and grit has saved and won many games before. A return to form might not be far off, and the benefit hereof may be invaluable.
Congratulations to Mickey Arthur, the new Australian cricket coach! He has his work cut out and has some serious decisions to make. I sincerely hope Mickey does a good job! He served South Africa in a very difficult time with huge political pressure from the then CSA board, headed by Norman Arendse. Take the time to read his autobiography if you have not done so already. The intrigues and politics add a totally different (dark)side of South African cricket which the supporter knows very little of.
Hansie Cronje seems to be in the news again for all the wrong reasons. One story discusses the re-opening of the match-fixing case again, and the other concerns the rumour that some of the “extras” in the movie “Hansie” still await payment after 4 years. Comments concerning the Cronje family has definitely not been flattering.
It reminded me of a quote by Maya Angelou “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
The feelings of disappointment, disbelief and betrayal are still very real for many people.
Sport Spot – deur Paul
Dawie skryf onlangs in Die Burger na aanleiding van die agbare Minister se erkenning dat hy oor die tou getrap het:
Wat was mnr. Fikile Mbalula, die minister van sport(s), se laaste woorde voordat sy lewe en politieke loopbaan in ’n nagmerrie omskep is? “Nee, ek is nie Julius nie, ma’ lê ma’…”
Wat Ou Maans herinner aan die juffrou wat vir hom die Engelse “tenses” probeer verduidelik het met behulp van ‘n stuk tou. Sy staan links van die tou op die grond en sê: “I am here.”
Sy beweeg na die regterkant van die tou en sê: “Now I am here, but just now, I was there. Verstaan jy die present en past tense nou, Manie?”
Waarop hy antwoord: “Smaak my, as juffrou oor die tou getrap het, is juffrou in die ander tyd.”
Na die Sport indaba, waarop die dood verklaarde kwotas wonderbaarlik weer uit die dode opgewek is, verklaar die Minister van Sports dat ons nou ‘n Groot Plan het. Hopelik ietwat beter as die vorige een waar hulle na 17 jaar agtergekom het hulle het vergeet om te meet of dit werk.
Een van die ander Afrika wonders van die ou plan was dat ‘n krieketspeler van Pakistan as wit getel is onder ‘n kwota vereiste wat nie bestaan nie, en waar die mees onopsigtelike Springbok voorry, The Beast, nie as swart gereken is nie. Dit in dieselfde kwotastelsel wat nie bestaan nie.
In Animal Farm, Orwell teaches us that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
Part of the indaba plan is to take the focus off the big three (cricket, soccer and rugby), hoping that a wider choice will encourage broader participation by the youth.
Manie reckons he will support this, provided that the real big three (murder, r@pe and highjacking) is regulated more strictly in the future, and that appropriate qualifying criteria are set to keep out incompetent amateurs. As the old saying goes: “96% of all lawyers are giving the rest a bad name.”
Hard leer ou Grote.
