Ngidi is the accidental hero in the New Dawn of Proteas

The male Proteas players, the flagship “brand” and the biggest factor when it comes to TV rights negotiations and thus revenue for CSA, spent several constructive days at Camp Skukuza in Kruger Park , plotting a better way forward.

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, which emerged from the tragic assassination of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, accelerated the process. The footage of Floyd pleading for mercy as a police officer blocked his airway with a knee on his neck, sparked a movement that has gone far beyond the borders of the United States and has expanded to sport.

BLM has sparked intense debate and scrutiny of South African cricket’s own past. While a camp had been planned for SA’s elite male players prior to the recent BLM-related events, the scope and focus of the meeting changed in the wake of what happened.

For every poignant account of discrimination in cricket, there have been opportunists attacking the movement to push their agendas. Traversing the jungle of sound bites and social media hysteria, and the obvious mistakes and injustices, is part of the process that players have started to go through.

“We went from addressing issues to addressing people, from contention to conversation,” said Proteas team manager Khomotso Volvo Masubelele.

“He highlighted the need for education and showed that no matter what level a player enters the team environment, it is important to be in contact with everyone and be aware of what it means to them to be Proteas. The camp also highlighted the importance of listening, understanding and acknowledging the experiences of others and through that allowed the group to move into a space where they could focus on the performance model that the team feels it is a part of.

“It is a model that they can own and be proud to have formulated something that can outlive them and be there for future generations of Proteas.”

Ngidi became the accidental hero who started a conversation.

Ngidi, whose sincere wish that he and his colleagues would have a dialogue about BLM, started a furor. He was asked about it in an online press conference on July 6, 2020, and the scholarly fast bowler gave a considerate, but sincere answer.

“As a nation too, we have a past that is very difficult due to racial discrimination,” Ngidi said. “So it’s definitely something we’ll tackle as a team and if we don’t, it’s something I’ll mention. It is something that we must take very seriously and, as the rest of the world is doing, defend ourselves ”.

Sensitive, reasoned and mature. But for some former Proteas players like Pat Symcox and Boeta Dippenaar, it was too much. They felt that Ngidi’s response was a kind of battle cry against farmers and whites. Of course it wasn’t, but it caused a social media crash.

Meanwhile, in the real world, CSA was grappling with the fallout when former players and coaches presented stories of discrimination at both the national and provincial levels.

The experiences ranged from the truly heartbreaking, such as Makhaya Ntini’s sense of isolation in the Proteas organization, to those of astonishing opportunism. Thami Tsolekile’s attempt to link her sordid match-fixing past and subsequent 12-year suspension to a racially motivated plot against her was the low point.

Those injustices, real and perceived, will be heard by CSA’s recently established Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) project. Respected attorney Dumisa Ntsebeza will assume the role of CSA’s transformation ombudsman in that process.

Honesty and discomfort are part of the process

But on a different level, the Proteas players had to clear the air and move on if they hope to be a successful team again. This is why the Kruger Park Cultural Camp was so vital. And, the first reaction is that you achieved what CSA hoped for: a better understanding of race, transformation and culture.

“It was very important that this camp happened,” Ngidi said in a recorded message distributed by CSA. “Most of the players and management felt that we had to address some issues, and that was the result of the camp. Now there are a lot of young guys on the team, and we had to form our own identity.

“Having left there, I felt that we had discussed and achieved the objectives of the camp. I was happy to leave as a player, I understood everything much better. Everyone on the same page puts us in a good position to move on. Many things have been addressed. These should not be things that affect our performance on the field.

“The transformation and career discussions in the team environment were very awkward at the time, obviously, but it had to be done.

“Many guys shared their stories and how they felt about different racial groups. You understand how people feel and with the transformation, we also understand that it does not come from the players, it comes from the system and that many people needed to understand why it is in its place and have these conversations and help people understand why certain I think that things are the way they are puts a lot more people in a position of understanding.

“We all know that you play for South Africa on merits and not because of the color of your skin. I think the best thing was to help everyone understand why. I feel like sometimes people are scared or ashamed to ask, so being able to speak in that environment really cleared up a lot of gray areas for a lot of people. “

The camp discussed ways to address the issues of transformation and culture, as well as how they could advance as a team in the ruthless world of international sport.

“With the BLM conversation, I think the most important thing is that it has opened up communication and helped a lot of people understand (where everyone else was coming from),” said Ngidi.

“The main thing about the BLM conversation in South Africa about race, transformation and equality is that it highlights many things that need to be addressed. And for anyone who didn’t understand, the guys were willing to communicate and explain, so I think it has definitely helped within the team. The main thing is to help people talk about topics that are uncomfortable for them.

“For the rules of engagement, I think people should be able to be themselves without fear of being judged and, for me, that is because I know I play my best cricket when I am myself. If I can’t be myself, I don’t feel like I’m giving 100% of who I am and what I can do.

“So for me that was one of the most important things: being able to get into an environment and not feel like you have to adjust to a certain way to fit in. We accept everyone as they are and everyone is different, which is what makes the team so good and the environment so good.

“The updated value system is very relevant to our country and the type of team we want to build. Belonging: everyone should feel welcome, with empathy and respect; once you understand someone much better, you can socialize, talk and have open discussions [with them]So these new value systems are very important and, in the end, we feel that these are the ones we are going to use in the future.

“Since South Africa is such a diverse nation, we actually found that it is one of our strengths and why we are such a resilient team.”

Some cricket was also discussed, although the team is so unlikely to have figured out all the secrets to winning matches as to find all the answers to transformation and the run.

But it was a start. It was the beginning of something that will hopefully be a watershed moment for years to come. Dialogue and honesty are never a bad thing, no matter how awkward they may be at first.

Ngidi and his teammates have demonstrated the kind of leadership that would not go wrong in the CSA boardroom. It is not the first time that South African athletes are thriving in spite of his leadership and not as a result of it. DM