Selection chief defends Rickelton call-up as Proteas miss transformation target

SELECTION convenor Patrick Moroney has explained Ryan Rickelton’s inclusion in the Proteas squad for the ICC T20 World Cup as a “cricket decision” after top-order batter Tony de Zorzi was ruled out due to fitness concerns.

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According to Cricket SA’s press release this week, De Zorzi had not made "progress as expected" on his injured hamstring, and as a result, Rickelton was included along with Tristan Stubbs, who replaced another injured player, Donovan Ferreira.

But this now leaves the Proteas with only five black players in their 15-man squad, which is one less than the stipulated target under CSA's transformation targets.

Independent Media understands that De Zorzi’s initial T20 World Cup selection had been influenced by these guidelines and that the CSA Board had to rubber-stamp Rickelton and Stubbs’ call-ups for the preceding West Indies T20I series and T20 World Cup.