CRICKET SA's (CSA) board hung Vernon Philander out to dry by demanding his selection for the World Cup semifinal in a move that made captain AB de Villiers reluctant to play in the match, sources close to the SA team say.
If the claims are true, a star bowler who has taken 121 wickets in just 29 Tests has been cynically undermined.
Philander has earned every nugget of his success, but being thrust from the cold of an injury lay-off into the team to play the most important match in SA's one-day history makes him look like a player who has benefitted from being black. The other side of the equation is that the in-form Kyle Abbott was denied the opportunity he deserved - which probably cost SA a place in yesterday's final.
Philander hurt a hamstring after bowling four overs against India in Melbourne on February 22. His only other match of the group stage was against the United Arab Emirates on March 12. In both games, he did not find the seam movement that makes him lethal.
But, having bowled just 12.3 overs for the middling return of 2-53 in the World Cup, Philander was included in the XI for the semifinal against New Zealand in Auckland on Tuesday. Asked if Philander had been selected on transformation grounds and, if so, how and why the decision was made, CSA president Chris Nenzani said: "Team management could perhaps be in a better position to respond to your query. However, let me state that I have not in the past interfered with the selection of the team and I do not intend to do so in the future. We have always emphasised that national team selection must be on merit."
Asked to comment, team doctor and manager Mohammed Moosajee said he was "not aware of political selection or interference".
"If you need clarification, [Andrew] Hudson [convenor of selectors] was the person who was there involved in selection," Moosajee said.
"Obviously, there is always debate who you play and who you don't play, but from my knowledge if you ask me whether there was political interference I cannot comment from a manager's point of view."
Hudson could not field the Sowetan's call as he was busy driving, but a message was left for him to get in touch but he never did. CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat commented in a short statement: "There was and is no political interference in our selections."
Sowetan attempted to get comment from coach Russell Domingo and left a message after his mobile phone went to voice mail.
philander cynically undermined by csa
CRICKET SA's (CSA) board hung Vernon Philander out to dry by demanding his selection for the World Cup semifinal in a move that made captain AB de Villiers reluctant to play in the match, sources close to the SA team say.
If the claims are true, a star bowler who has taken 121 wickets in just 29 Tests has been cynically undermined.
Philander has earned every nugget of his success, but being thrust from the cold of an injury lay-off into the team to play the most important match in SA's one-day history makes him look like a player who has benefitted from being black. The other side of the equation is that the in-form Kyle Abbott was denied the opportunity he deserved - which probably cost SA a place in yesterday's final.
Philander hurt a hamstring after bowling four overs against India in Melbourne on February 22. His only other match of the group stage was against the United Arab Emirates on March 12. In both games, he did not find the seam movement that makes him lethal.
But, having bowled just 12.3 overs for the middling return of 2-53 in the World Cup, Philander was included in the XI for the semifinal against New Zealand in Auckland on Tuesday. Asked if Philander had been selected on transformation grounds and, if so, how and why the decision was made, CSA president Chris Nenzani said: "Team management could perhaps be in a better position to respond to your query. However, let me state that I have not in the past interfered with the selection of the team and I do not intend to do so in the future. We have always emphasised that national team selection must be on merit."
Asked to comment, team doctor and manager Mohammed Moosajee said he was "not aware of political selection or interference".
"If you need clarification, [Andrew] Hudson [convenor of selectors] was the person who was there involved in selection," Moosajee said.
"Obviously, there is always debate who you play and who you don't play, but from my knowledge if you ask me whether there was political interference I cannot comment from a manager's point of view."
Hudson could not field the Sowetan's call as he was busy driving, but a message was left for him to get in touch but he never did. CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat commented in a short statement: "There was and is no political interference in our selections."
Sowetan attempted to get comment from coach Russell Domingo and left a message after his mobile phone went to voice mail.
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