Allan Lamb blasts racial quotas in South African cricket, demands merit-based selections only

Former England cricketer Allan Lamb has opened up about the racial quota system in South African cricket. Lamb, who was born in South Africa and moved to England during the Apartheid era, stated that the Proteas could be a ‘stronger’ side with selection based on ‘merit’ rather than the quota system.

South Africa should field an average of six players of color, including at least two Black African players, across a season. Temba Bavuma recently led South Africa to the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 title. However, some continue to question the racial quota system's impact on team selection.

You Are Only Allowed a Certain Number of White Players - Allan Lamb

Allan Lamb said that cricket has not achieved the same success as rugby. He stated that the current system restricts the number of white players selected. Lamb said that the selection should be merit-based. He called for unity among all communities, Black, white, colored, and Indian.

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“Rugby seems to have got it right, but cricket hasn’t got it right," Lamb told PTI. “The (Quota) system has been overdone. It’s now basically, you are only allowed a certain amount of white players playing."

“South Africa could be a stronger team if they pick players on merit (and not on quota). Those days of Apartheid are long gone. The coloureds, the Indians and the blacks and the whites, they’ve got to work properly together and say, ‘hey, if that guy’s good enough, he must play’. We must pick the best team we can have," he added.

South Africa Ended a 27-Year Wait for the ICC Title with a WTC Win under Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma became the first Black African to score a Test century for South Africa, reaching the milestone against England in Cape Town in 2016. He assumed the captaincy of the Test side in 2023.

South Africa ended a 27-year wait for an ICC title by winning the World Test Championship at Lord’s. Bavuma contributed crucial scores of 36 and 66, helping his team secure a five-wicket win over Australia. It was South Africa’s second ICC trophy, their first since the 1998 Champions Trophy.

The team, which had endured numerous setbacks in previous ICC events, finally broke the jinx. With this victory, Bavuma not only made history but also played a key role in leading the Proteas to long-awaited global success.

The ICC Is Going to Have to Do Something About It - Allan Lamb

Allan Lamb also called for changes to the Test cricket format, including the introduction of a two-tier system involving promotion and relegation. He added that this model is essential for maintaining the sport's competitiveness and relevance.

“The ICC is going to have to do something about it because the format they have for international Test matches, people are not too sure what is going on there as it’s done over two years. There are some teams, like everyone said, that South Africa qualified due to the fact that they played all the weaker teams. But that wasn’t South Africa’s problem. That was the ICC’s problem. They came up with that," he said.

“And, I believe, you need a two-tier structure. And that’s got to come in very rapidly. The ICC chairman, he’s got to sit down, otherwise, cricket’s going to be at a loss. You need strong teams playing each other but they’ve also got to play the weaker teams," Allan Lamb added.

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