Former South Africa cricketer Jonty Rhodes has finally acknowledged the racism and apartheid issues that are still plaguing the country’s sporting fabric, particularly in cricket. Rhodes spoke about the white privilege that existed in South Africa cricket, saying he was picked in the national squad despite being average in his performances. 

During an interaction with The Hindu, Deccan Herald and The New Indian Express in Bengaluru, Rhodes said, “I certainly benefited from the fact that I wasn’t really competing with 50% of the population. I literally was competing only with the white players. My cricketing statistics as a player were very average when I was selected. If I was competing with the rest of the country then possibly I wouldn’t have been picked. And I would not have been diving around the field.”

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Hailed as one of the all-time great fielders the sport has ever seen – Rhodes feels cricket needs to learn from the rugby team, who provides opportunities for youngsters from ‘disadvantaged communities’. He also lent his full support for transformation quotas despite its complexities.

Talking about his further Rhodes said, “We in South Africa have a legacy of apartheid. How many generations does it take to address that? You still have disadvantaged communities based on race. So they might have political freedom but they don’t have economic freedom.”

Cricket South Africa has suffered a lot of problems as some talented white players who gave up their dream of donning the coveted South African jersey and signed the lucrative Kolpak contracts in English County cricket. Since the start of 2019, South Africa has lost a home Test series to Sri Lanka, failed to get past the league stage of the ICC Cricket World Cup in England. They also suffered a 3-0 Test whitewash in India. In the ongoing series against England, they are already trailing by 1-2 margin in the four-Test series at home.

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Describing the same, Rhodes said, “The biggest question for me is why in over 20 years have we not produced opportunities for young players in disadvantaged communities. It’s not about racism. It’s about equal opportunity and that’s not happening. What rugby has done well is in building its structures, working in disadvantaged areas. Cricket has a lot to learn.”