Former Proteas spin bowler Thandi Tshabalala says he now rejoices in the downfall of the national team because he can’t support a team that “portrays a false image in public”.
Tshabalala, 36, played four ODI matches for the Proteas in 2007 and says he was never welcomed by the so-called “Big Five” clique in the team.
Speaking at CSA’s social justice hearings yesterday, Tshabalala says: “After my experiences within the Proteas setup… I could not support a team that I felt that portrayed a false image in public.
“I did not feel that it was a unified South African team – I felt it was a team that had a false facade to those that are looking from the outside.
“Since then, I have rejoiced every Protea downfall because I believed that if the Proteas team had to succeed, that success would not have been the way a South Africa national team should succeed. At the expense of black players.”
With the team then captained by now-director of cricket Graeme Smith, Tshabalala called out the entire current national-team management.
The Welkom-born former player adds: “We have a captain that all these injustices have happened under his watchful eye.
“Fast forward 10-15 years we appoint the same person to be the director of cricket.
“How can the same rotten apple that all these instances have happened under, how can we trust him moving forward?
“And this is justified by the appointment of his arrival of the head coach, spin bowling consultant which were the very same instigators that have led to us arriving at this point as a nation.”