AB De Villiers reveals what went behind the controversial selection for the 2015 World Cup semi-final match

Cricket South Africa is a complex board, while they are represented on the field by one of the most professional and exciting sides in the world, in the background there are a number of things going on. The board has failed to steer clear of controversy, and this is just the latest in a number of such episodes.

In his upcoming autobiography, ‘AB: The Autobiography’, the mercurial cricketer talks about the playing XI for the 2015 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand. South Africa came into the game in good form, with Kyle Abbott playing a stellar role and Vernon Philander nursing an injury.

At 5:30 pm on the day before the game, half an hour prior to the usual team meeting, AB, who was the skipper at that time was called in by the selectors. They informed him that Vernon Philander would start the game ahead of Kyle Abbott, ensuring 4 players of colour were on the pitch.

In his book, he writes, "It was generally assumed the same team would be named to play in the semifinal. That was my expectation as captain, until I was called to a meeting at 5.30 pm on the evening before the match, half an hour before our usual team meeting was due to start, and was told Vernon Philander, who had passed his fitness test a few days earlier, would play instead of Kyle Abbott."

This is all a part of the ‘Transformation Targets’ that South African sports bodies have been told to adhere to. The policy states that 60% of the squad has to be represented by ‘coloured players’. This move has come under heavy criticism, with some people even calling it reverse-racism.

"We had been assured that Cricket South Africa was the only national sporting governing body in the country that had declined to set a target for the number of players of colour to be included in the national team, but there was a delicate balance to be struck and it was generally understood that, as they chose the side, the national selectors would be conscious of working towards providing opportunities for at least four players of colour" muses AB in his book.

AB De Villiers concedes that, as captain, a change in the playing XI ahead of a crucial semi-final definitely hurt the team’s chances.

AB goes on to conclude with what was going on in his mind during all of this. "So what had happened? Had Vernon, who was officially classified as coloured, been selected ahead of Kyle, who was classified as white, to ensure there were four players of colour in our team for the semifinal? Or had the decision been made for purely cricketing reasons?”