"It would be such a heavy thought" - Kagiso Rabada breaks silence on being the only Black African in South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

South Africa fast bowler Kagiso Rabada has finally opened up on a highly sensitive topic of being the only Black African player in South Africa's squad for the T20 World Cup 2024. The rule says that the South African national team Playing XI must have six players of color, including two black Africans.

But Kagiso Rabada was the only black African player in South Africa's 15-man squad for the tournament. This raised several eyebrows and Cricket South Africa (CSA) was also criticized for not complying with the national rules.

It was the first occasion since 2015 that only one black African was present in South Africa's squad and the first time since 2016 that a South African cricket World Cup squad had had only six players of color.

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Kagiso Rabada breaks silence on being the only Black African in South Africa's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

When asked about the matter of being the only black African in the whole squad, Rabada denied any pressure. Instead, Rabada just chose to not think of the matter at all to focus on the tournament.

"I didn't put any more pressure on me at all. It would be such a heavy thought, during a World Cup, thinking about yourself being the only black player in a team. That seems like torture for me. That just takes away from focus," Rabada was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

Rabada then stated that he is not invincible and can be dropped from the team if he doesn't perform despite being a black player.

"I'm a black player, yes. If I don't feel like I should have been there on merit and if people don't feel that way, then it's fine. I'm not invincible. I can be dropped as well but I believe in myself," the 29-year-old added.

After the selection of the squad, South Africa coach Rob Walter mentioned that he had chosen the best possible squad. However, he insisted the CSA to to reflect on the status of domestic cricket to produce more world-class black African players before the next World Cup.

"For me, it was just about winning" - Kagiso Rabada

Rabada also reflected on the questions raised by the media regarding the players' selection and how it can impact the psychology of a player

"These are certain challenges (we face) and you ask a valid question because you wonder how players must have felt in the past, how players in the future might feel. And these are things we need to address. For me, it was just about winning (the World Cup). But for other players, you never know how it feels. And also, what the media has to say about the situation can really mess up the players' psychology or psyche," the right-arm quick added.

Despite being under pressure regarding the selection of black players, South Africa performed exceptionally well in the T20 World Cup 2024 they reached the final of the tournament, where they lost to India. This was South Africa's first-ever final in a senior ICC tournament.