More culture mix awaits South African cricket, says coach Barney

As the South Africa A coach, Barney Mohammad, sees the team, it is different from what it used to be in the days when he played cricket.

The passion for cricket hasn’t diminished in the players, but now the team sees a huge representation from different parts of the country. “I myself am of Indian origin — my dad was from India — and in my younger days I played for both the coloured side which included both African and Indian origin players, and that of the whites,” says Barney.

He recalls his early days in the sport and the hardships that non-white players had to face. “It was a tough time during apartheid, but luckily we have gone past it. When I was playing for a white side I could not stay in the same hotel as the white players or eat at the restaurants where they ate. In fact, I could not even change in the dressing room,” he said.

But times have changed, and words like apartheid and racism have no place in Cricket South Africa. “A huge change is coming in South Africa. The Indian community is finally coming out of its shell and involving itself in cricket. If you look at this team we have Hashim (Amla) and Yusuf Abdullah in the team which is clear proof of the fact.

“With over a million strong Indian diaspora in South Africa it was only a matter a time players from the community started participating in the game. If you ask me, the game has always been a strong part of our culture and with the administration now serious about getting representation from all communities we are bound to see more.

Amla became the first player of Indian origin to make the South Africa Test team. He is also part of the team and said that he won’t be surprised “if you see many more players of Indian origin repeating his feat.”

The coach says that the quota policy is misunderstood by many. On the issue he said: “If you look at this team, you have more players from the so-called minority communities. These players are not playing because of quota but purely on merit.”

Play was suspended today at the ground as heavy rains made the ground unsuitable for play, so for the coach the Twenty20 between India and South Africa has suddenly become more interesting.

“Yeah, it will be a good game. I always love watching the Indian players and after yesterday’s match it’s bound to be fun. I remember the first time that the team came to play in India (1992) after apartheid and we got a chance to see players like Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar. It was just great.”