Thread by @ashyp_5, Just over 30 former #Proteas players and coaches came out in support [...]

Just over 30 former #Proteas players and coaches came out in support of @NgidiLungi #BLM and against any form of SYSTEMIC RACISM. Since then, the phone has literally been going off the hook, with all sorts of journalists wanting to know, “so tell us what happened to you?”

It’s as if people are expecting everyone to come out and say, I was called a ...... by this one and a ..... by so and so.( which has happened from time to time ) The issue really is that yes, while that hurts and is really not cool, it doesn’t “ROB ONE OF OPPORTUNITIES” in LIFE.

The stuff that really hurts is when people, by using their POSITIONS of POWER, uses that POWER to stunt your growth, by denying you opportunities, and in turn provide those OPPORTUNITIES to those that they favor, purely on the basis of the color of their skin.

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In this spreadsheet is a group of people that I used to compete with for a place in the PROTEAS, more or less the same era, also a few names from a different era, and then there is AB de Villiers, who didn’t compete with us, as he was/is a world superstar and we are/were not.

Before everyone starts shouting stats don’t always give a true reflection let me be the 1st to say, that’s a given. We didn’t always go to the crease under the same circumstances or conditions, and some had to bat out of position more than others, this is true.

I’m by no means suggesting that I was better than the guys I was competing against. I had the upmost respect for these guys as players, and I think as the table proves, there was not much difference in our numbers as 1st class cricketers.

Where there was a difference, was the stigma attached to the last name on the list, A QUOTA PLAYER, whereas the others were all deserving of their Green and Gold Blazer, baggy green and of course everything else associated with representing their country.

And then, as Michael Holding so eloquently, stated, everything associated with a non-white person has to be classed as bad, poor quality, non-deserving etc etc etc. Because you have that stigma attached to you forever, people are reluctant to “hire you, select you”

I have been fortunate that there have been some brave people in my past, who were prepared to look past the colour of my skin and said, let’s take a chance with this guy. For that I’ll be forever grateful.

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The QUESTION I want to leave everyone with, and I want people to really think about. If you look at the table above, and you still feel I was a beneficiary of a QUOTA SYSTEM ( which you’re entitled to think ) what were the other players a beneficiary of? #BLM

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https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="👊🏽" title="Fisted hand (mittlerer Hautton)" aria-label="Emoji: Fisted hand (mittlerer Hautton)"> #EQUALITY

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