Convenor of selectors Linda Zondi has expressed his views on transformation saying that his selection choices will not be based on colour. 

The Proteas fielded eight players of colour in their West Indies Tri-series match, which they won by 47 runs in June and Londi feels that this achievement was based on his panel picking players based on merit.

‘For me, as a convenor, I will never pick a player based on colour,’ Zondi told Sport 24.

‘I will pick a player based on his ability to represent our country. I will never accept mediocrity.

‘The country wants us to do well and to transform and to win matches. I’m very happy with the talent that we have and we just want to maintain the high standards we have when picking players.’

‘I’m very happy with the talent that we have and we just want to maintain the high standards we have when picking players.’

According to Zondi, thanks to the transformation structures in SA domestic cricket, the pool of black cricketers, who have been given opportunities improve, has widened.

In the 2014-15 domestic season, transformation rules ensured that five players of colour (two black Africans) should be selected to play in each match across all formats.

This number was increased to six players of colour (three black Africans) for the 2015-16 season.

‘We’ve got a lot of flak before in terms of people criticising our franchise system and transformation,’ Zondi said.

‘We backed the system and the players that we had and fortunately we had some world class players. It became a natural thing.’

Zondi revealed that matches should be judged annually and not on a match-to-match basis, as results are determined by various factors, not just on individual performances.

‘The board has been very strategic in terms of giving us an annual target and not a match-to-match target, which gives us more room when selecting players,’ he said.

‘It’s important to know that just because the team is losing, it shouldn’t be about transformation. And if the team is winning, it also shouldn’t be about an individual.

‘It is a collective approach in which these guys who have been picked have done well at franchise level. We make sure that whatever player we pick, we are sure in our minds that he can represent South Africa.

‘We are not looking at colour, but we are looking at the player.’