Ashwell Prince: What he said, really meant and definitely didn’t

Ashwell Prince – New Years Day Training at the Sydney Cricket Ground 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Ashwell Prince is done with his share.

What he said:

“You can’t survive for 66 Tests just on the basis of a quota.”

Ashwell Prince protests that coloreds in the South African side do not get full credit for their on-field achievements. His Cricinfo profile describes him as a beneficiary of the post-apartheid preferential treatment for blacks in South African sport.

He added:

“It saddens me that I have to point that out today, but you have to defend yourself.”

Prince said:

“As soon as apartheid fell away and we could compete with white kids, we proved that colour had nothing to do with it. Right from the start, we could go from Galvendale, which is where I grew up in Port Elizabeth, go to their ground and beat them. It was all about opportunity and being able to show what you could do.”

On the quota system:

“We were aware that there were quota systems in provincial cricket. But as far as the national team was concerned, there was never ever a quota system. Unfortunately, outside of South African cricket, people didn’t see it like that, so whenever someone of colour was selected for the national team there were these questions. It came as no surprise to me that opposition players would target me in that way.”

What he really meant:

“On the field, race hardly matters. It’s runs, wickets and catches that count. In my case, certainly, statistics don’t lie.”

What he definitely didn’t:

“Have I used up my quota of words or what?”