In a bizarre event, a South African provincial team named Warriors who are currently playing in Cricket South Africa's domestic competition have been relegated from the tournament for playing one fewer black African player in a league match without a proper explanation for exemption.
The side has also been penalised five runs for not meeting the standards of Cricket South Africa's quota rules The Warriors have now dropped from third to fourth in the league table and will not participate in the qualifier.
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CSA's Statement On Warriors' Mishap
The incident took place on February 16 in a match between the Warriors and the Dolphins in Durban. The side had played two black players instead of three in the playing XI as was the rule as per Cricket South Africa. They won that match by 126 runs and had finished third in the league table last week but have been moved to fourth spot after the points penalty.
“Following a comprehensive review and investigation, the CSA Board has determined that the Warriors failed to meet the stipulated transformation requirements during their match on 16 February 2025 against the Hollywoodbets Dolphins in Durban,” CSA said in a statement.
“A monetary Fine has also been included, with 50% payable before the end of the current financial year. The remaining 50% will be suspended for five years and will only be activated if a similar breach occurs within that period. As a direct consequence of this sanction, Warriors will no longer qualify for the 1Day Cup playoff, altering the competition’s final standings" the statement further added.
Cricket South Africa has different rules for playing XIs in domestic and international teams. A minimum of six players of colour in a playing XI can be fielded in the domestic team, three of them being African black. In the national team, six players of colour are required to be played, at least two of which need to be black African players in the playing XI.
Meanwhile, the Warriors on their part can take legal action against Cricket South Africa for relegating their team. Reports in ESPN Cricinfo says that the team has sent a legal notice to CSA after the sanctions despite no appeals process being in place at the board for punishments. Previously the Warriors had agreed to Cricket South Africa's transformation targets at the start of the season.
