Cape Town - Cricket South Africa’s quota system will discourage promising young white cricketers to pursue a career in the game, a well-known local agent believes.
This comes after CSA confirmed over the weekend that the national team must also confirm to targets based on race.
The Proteas will be required to field an average of six players of colour in their starting XIs over the course of a season, while two of those must be black African.
In an interview with Netwerk24, the agent said “the number of white schoolboys who want to play cricket will drastically decrease”.
Unlike the case in rugby, he believes it’s tougher for a promising young cricketer to become a professional overseas.
“Cricket’s international market is relatively small. It’s not like rugby, where there’s a demand for young South African players.
“In England you need a British passport to qualify for that country, while a country like Australia prefers to pick local players.
“It’s only big T20 tournaments, like the Indian Premier League and the Big Bash, that can lure overseas players.
“Because of these prospects, it would make sense for a (white) schoolboy to practice another sport.”