I Don’t Know If South Africa Are Going To Qualify For The Next 50-overs World Cup: Daryll Cullinan

Former South African batsman Daryll Cullinan has sounded a word of caution for the national side, stating that he is not fully confident that the Proteas will qualify for the 2023 World Cup in India given their dire on-field performances and the administrative mess of CSA.

Unlike the previous World Cups, the qualification for the 2023 event will take place on the basis of performances of the teams in the ongoing ODI Super-League. Eight member nations including the hosts will qualify for the quadrennial event while the remaining teams will have to battle it out in the ICC Qualifiers.

“I don’t know if we are going to qualify for the next 50-overs World Cup. Unlike the previous system where the full member countries were guaranteed a spot, they have to now qualify and that’s where the worry lies,’’ Daryll Cullinan told Indian Women’s team coach W.V Raman on his Youtube show ‘Inside Out’

Cullinan described South Africa’s performance in the last World Cup, where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals, as appalling. He also cited examples of how teams’ like New Zealand, West Indies and Bangladesh have shown improvements in recent times, unlike South Africa, which has been riddled with loss of talent due to Kolpak and the administrative mess of Cricket South Africa.

‘‘Look at the way New Zealand have punched above their weight in recent times by producing some smart cricketers. Even countries like Bangladesh and the West Indies are showing signs of improvement,’’ he said.

South Africa have grappled with the loss of so many talented cricketers due to Kolpak but that could all change with the United Kingdom set to leave the European Union, and Daryll Cullinan feels that with cricketers like Rilee Rossouw, Kyle Abbott, Duanne Oliver, Simon Harmer coming back into the system, it will help the South African selectors to choose from a bloated pool of talent.

”Our Kolpak players will be coming back and this will give the selectors a bigger pool to choose from,’’ he said.

The former cricketer also lambasted Cricket South Africa for its administrative mess, which has been going on for a better part of two years now.

‘‘The cricket body is an absolute mismatch a mismatch of different agenda – from political to financial regularities. It’s said for me to see a state like this,’’ he said.

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