Cricket South Africa deliberately committing favouritism? Board under massive scrutiny over David Teeger

An NGO has dragged Cricket South Africa (CSA) to court over David Teeger's removal as South Africa's Under-19 captain ahead of the Under-19 World Cup held earlier this year.

David Teeger received the Rising Star of the Absa Jewish Achiever Awards in November 2023 and made pro-Israel comments. With Israel and Palestine involved in a war since October 2023, Teeger's comments didn't go down well with the Palestine Solidarity Alliance (PSA), who complained to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC).

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What was David Teeger's statement that caused the controversy?

"Yes, I’ve been given this award, and yes, I’m now the Rising Star, but the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel. And I’d like to dedicate it to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora," Teeger had said after receiving the award.

As a result, Teeger was stripped of the South Africa Under-19 team's captaincy just a few days before the start of the mega event due to the fears that he might become a target of protestors during the tournament. However, he remained with the squad and played as a pure batter.

NGO drags Cricket South Africa to court over David Teeger's removal as South Africa's Under-19 captain

Human rights protection NGO 'Citizens for Integrity' has complained to CSA, citing that Teeger's removal as South Africa Under-19's captain wasn't right. Citizens for Integrity Attorney Daniel Witz released a statement claiming that CSA failed to give any valid reason for Teeger's removal from the captaincy.

"While reinstating (David) Teeger to his former captaincy in a concluded tournament is impossible, we hope this case will result in a court declaration confirming that CSA acted irrationally and unlawfully. This would underscore the imperative to protect all rights and the freedom of speech," the NGO statement read.

"CSA has failed to explain why a security threat was posed only if Teeger remained captain, but not if he remained a team member. Additionally, CSA did not outline any measures to protect Teeger and the team if such a threat truly existed," the statement added.

The statement also mentioned that CSA proved incapable of protecting David Teeger's basic rights and the incident has tarnished the whole country's image.

"As the hosts and organizers of the tournament, CSA had an obligation to ensure the safety of their players, yet they failed to act appropriately. CSA’s decision not only embarrassed and humiliated Teeger, infringing on his rights and affecting his career, but it also violated the rights of all South Africans," the statement added.

South Africa were eliminated from the semi-finals of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2024 where they lost to India in a nail-biting encounter by 2 wickets. David Teeger had a disappointing tournament with the bat as he scored 107 runs in 6 matches at an average of 26.75 and a strike rate of 59.11.