June 19, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1429

JOHANNESBURG, June 18: Cricket South Africa (CSA) have implemented major changes to their selection policy following the recent controversies over quotas involving Andre Nel and Charl Langeveldt.

Norman Arendse, the CSA president, no longer has the power of veto over selection, while Graeme Smith, the captain, and Mickey Arthur, the coach, have been removed from the selection panel, although will still be consulted.

“In selecting the national squad, the selectors shall consult with and have regard to the input of both the coach and the captain,” said a CSA statement.

“The coach and convenor shall be responsible for the selection of the final eleven players to take the field. The captain takes charge once the playing eleven have been selected.

“The president and board of CSA should continue to be the custodians of the transformation policy insofar as the national team is concerned,” it added.

“In this regard, [they] should continue to monitor the progress in achieving acceptable levels of representivity that will eventually reflect the demographic make-up of the country, but there should be a change of process whereby the CEO and convenor of selectors are required to manage the process and report regularly to the CSA president/board as the ultimate oversight and policy body.”

The issue of quotas, whereby every 15-man South African touring squad should include seven coloured players, has long been a thorny issue, but it came to a head before the tour of India in March.

Nel was left out of the squad, in favour of Langeveldt, who later pulled out himself saying he was uncomfortable with the selection policy. In the end, Monde Zondeki was drafted in although didn’t play on the tour.—Agencies