‘Politics had a role to play’ in South Africa’s team selection for World Cup semifinal: Mike Horn

Mumbai: South African cricket team’s high performance coach Mike Horn on Thursday said that the team selection during the World Cup semfinal against New Zealand was ‘interfered with’.

Following South Africa's exit from World Cup Down Under, it was indicated that Proteas dropped a white player and replaced him with an injured black player for the semifinal clash to make its lineup more racially acceptable.

The South Africa cricket team does have an informal agreement that it should normally have at least four non-white players in its lineup. Without Philander against New Zealand, South Africa would have had only three.

#SA XI: De Villiers*, Amla, de Kock+, du Plessis, Rossouw, Miller, Duminy, Steyn, Philander, Morkel, Tahir http://t.co/zMv3ls8RX8 #NZvSA

— ICC (@ICC) March 24, 2015

(Photo: AP)

The adventurer, who had previously worked with Indian cricket team during their World Cup triumph in 2011 and with Germany’s football World Cup winning unit in 2014, told Eyewitness News about how ‘quota’ system in South African cricket led to changes in the playing XI in the World Cup 2015 semifinal which South Africa lost.

(Photo: AP)

#Proteas Mike Horn on “politics” linked to a “quota” in the team selection for the #CWC15 SF with NZ @JeanSmyth pic.twitter.com/GtJ5kgipDV

— EWN Sport (@EWNsport) April 16, 2015

Mike Horn also told the new channel that he had to motivate the team even further following the incident; a job in which he ‘failed a bit.’

#Proteas Mike Horn on how he had to re-motivate the team before the SF with NZ Full story: http://t.co/rov4R8jh4k pic.twitter.com/39bb4oG4rC

— EWN Sport (@EWNsport) April 16, 2015

Sports minister Fikile Mbalula had then denied to have influenced the cricket team to drop white bowler Kyle Abbott for Vernon Philander in last week's World Cup semifinal against New Zealand. Mbalula, who is black, said he was responding to accusations made by "a dying breed of political dinosaurs." He didn't identify the source of the accusations.

Following Mike Horn’s comments on team selection, South African sports minister termed Horn ‘mischievous’.

#Proteas Min. Fikile Mbalula: What Mike Horn is doing is being mischievous. I don't know how such people find their ways into leadership.

— EWN Sport (@EWNsport) April 16, 2015

#Proteas Min. Fikile Mbalula: He [Horn] must substantiate to say that there was indeed political interference and calls were made.

— EWN Sport (@EWNsport) April 16, 2015

Mbalula's denial was earlier backed up by Cricket South Africa chief executive Haroon Lorgat, who said there was "absolutely no interference" with team selection at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

"I must tell you that I've never heard any more nonsense than that in all my tenure as an administrator," Lorgat had said.

However, Cricket South Africa are yet to issue any statement after Horn hinted about quota system playing a role in team selection.