Wessels slams team make-up after hosts exit

“We need to look at selection. The selectors missed it completely,” said Wessels who was captain of the team who also lost out on the rain-rule in the 1992 semi-final against England in Sydney.

“They picked 11 guys to play in the important matches and four arbitrary players to play against Canada not understanding that in a tournament like this if one of your key players loses form, you’ve got to have someone to replace him. “So when Allan Donald lost form they were down to Monde Zondeki or Charl Langevelt. “It was not the time to throw a Monde Zondeki into a game like Monday’s. He couldn’t cope with the pressure, he got injured, mentally struggled and that was a massive problem.”

Prior to the tournament, former South Africa cricket chief Ali Bacher, now the World Cup supremo, gave late sports minister Steve Tshwete a promise that five coloured players would be included in the 15-man squad.

Chairman of selectors Omar Henry, himself one of the first non-white players to make a major impact in South African cricket, was furious with Wessels. “He must realise we are in South Africa. We’re not in New Zealand, not in England, not in Australia. We have a unique situation,” Henry said. “We will select a winning team but we will also look at transformation and unless we take this on board we are not going to succeed,” he said.