Warriors saga highlights South Africa's not so secret second scorecard

The Warriors have been docked five points in the wake of Cricket South Africa's men's One-Day Cup match at Kingsmead on February 16 that they won by 126 runs. Four of those points have been awarded to their well-beaten opponents, the Dolphins.

That cost the Warriors a spot in Wednesday's qualifier, which will be at Kingsmead between the Dolphins and the Titans – who would have hosted the qualifier in Centurion had the Dolphins not been awarded the four points. Wednesday's winners will meet Boland in the final in Paarl on Sunday.

The Warriors were convincing winners over a side who were then bumped above them in the final standings? The losers, the Dolphins, were given four points for free and thus propelled into the playoffs. The Titans have been denied the advantage they earned of playing a crucial match at home.

Cricket South Africa uses two scorecards. One is the analysis of batting and bowling that we're all familiar with. The other is strictly South African, counting how many black, brown, and white players are in your XI. This scorecard measures whether your team meets the transformation targets set by CSA, who in turn are compelled to meet government targets.

The Warriors failed to satisfy the tenets of the scorecard at Kingsmead on February 16, when they fielded two – rather than the stipulated three – black players. They weren't forced to do so because of injury, in which case an explanatory letter to CSA asking for permission to deviate from what are ubiquitously called "the numbers" can be written and a reprieve obtained.

A monetary penalty has also been imposed, with half due before the current financial year ends in February next year, and the rest suspended for five years. It would "only be activated if a similar breach occurs within that period". The amount of money involved was not revealed.

Cricket, like every other aspect of South African society, has been riven by racist inequality since the British brought the game to the country in the early 19th century. Apartheid was defeated at the ballot box in April 1994, but racism persists – and could still infect the selection of XIs.

Black and brown South Africans have played cricket for centuries, but because of apartheid's ongoing social and economic effects and the continued location of all but one of the country's major grounds in affluent, formerly white areas, the myth persists that the game is predominantly a pursuit of the pale.

The Warriors' coach, Robin Peterson, is brown, not white or black. He is a coach who has been at the forefront of efforts to address past imbalances in the game. Peterson has been vocal about the need for a fairer society, and the need to address the ongoing effects of apartheid.

The Warriors' saga highlights the ongoing struggle for equality in South African cricket. The Warriors' docked points and monetary penalty are a reminder that the game is still grappling with its past, and that the fight for a fairer society is ongoing.