File photo of Lonwabo Tsotsobe.
Cricket and racism has had a long history when one takes a look in the past. However, off late the perception has been that racism is slowly going away from the game with players of all caste, creed and colour have shared dressing room in harmony throughout the globe.
Of course, unwarranted incidents of players getting racially abused by fans have often made headlines. For instance, the infamous Mohammed Siraj-fan incident during the Australia-India series. However, discrimination among players in the dressing room is seldom heard off. But incidents like Danish Kaneria, a former Pakistan spinner, claiming that he faced discrimination in the Pak dressing room because of his religion suggested that such news are often suppressed.
And it is even more clear now with former ODI No. 1 bowler’s Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s claims that he was often meted out with ‘resistance, discrimination and victimisation’ in the South African dressing room, which has put the Rainbow nation to shame.
In his submission to the office of the Cricket South Africa (CSA) SJN transformation ombudsman, Tsotsobe revealed that his mother was “kicked out of the presidential suite at a stadium” and denied entry into the plush hospitality facility on a day she had travelled to the venue to watch the former Proteas left-arm fast bowler play for the national cricket team, revealed reports by South African media.
“There was also an occasion when my mother was kicked out of the presidential suite at the stadium and the reason given was that the suite was full with white families,” wrote Tsotsobe, who played five Tests, 61 ODIs and 23 T20Is for Proteas.
“However, I did not take this blatant racially motivated act lying down. “I remonstrated and told them that I will not grace the field and play unless my mother was afforded the same treatment and status just like the white folks.
“After such an argument she was allowed into the suite.”
He further revealed that while debuting for South Africa in 2009, he was made to carry to bags of the senior player but the same behaviour wasn’t meted out to young white players in the team.
“When I was initially selected to represent the Proteas on tour, I had to carry the bags of senior players onto the bus.
“At the time I thought it was part of an initiation extended to any new player in the team.
“To my astonishment, later when I became a senior player, none of the newly selected white players were subjected to the so-called initiation practice.