“Even the 100s, even the great moments, I didn’t celebrate as a sense of enjoyment but a sense of relief,” said Ashwell Prince.
Former Proteas batter Ashwell Prince has revealed that he spent much of his career in the national team challenging racial perceptions.
The 47-year-old coach, who played 66 Tests and 52 One Day Internationals for the Proteas over nine years, was particularly prolific in red-ball cricket, scoring over 3600 runs at an average of 42. Despite his success, Prince has had to contend with the stigma of being labeled a quota player.
In an interview with Smash Sports, the former Cobras coach expressed that he always felt the need to prove himself as a non-white player.
“There was always a feeling that you needed to prove that your people or non-white people in this country could play the game,” Prince said.
“The actual history of the sport runs deep in our communities. There’s a perception that after unity in 1992, that’s when the sport was introduced to our communities. That’s not the case; our club (Gelvandale) has been around for a very long time. There are clubs in Cape Town that have been around for nearly 100 years.”
Ashwell Prince Became the Proteas’ First Non-White Captain in 2006
The former left-handed batsman became the first non-white captain to lead the Proteas in 2006, standing in for the injured Graeme Smith. He said there was always a perception that he was in the team because of his skin color.
“When it comes to talent, the man upstairs doesn’t say, ‘We will sprinkle a little bit of talent on you guys because you have that skin tone and less talent because you have this skin tone.’ No, talent is distributed equally,” Prince added.
He made his Test debut against Australia in 2002 and described the journey as lonely and confusing.
“A few games in, you get the sense that maybe there was an underlying feeling that other people would have been better options. Throughout your career, you often get that feeling.”
“When you go out on the pitch, it’s a single-minded approach. The only way I can prove to my teammates that I deserve to be here, and that Coloured and Black people can play this game at this level, is to perform to the standards required of a number five or six batsman.”
Prince Scored 11 Test Centuries in 66 Matches for South Africa
Prince admitted that he never truly enjoyed his milestones; for him, playing for the Proteas felt more like a struggle for survival.
“Sometimes when I look back at my career, I can definitely say that I didn’t enjoy my accomplishments,” he said. “Even the 100s, even the great moments, I didn’t celebrate as a sense of enjoyment but a sense of relief.”
“I remember thinking, ‘I cannot end my Test career with an average of 16 and a high score of 49,’ because the general thought would be, ‘You were there because of color,’ and also, ‘We told you so.’ It’s not necessarily your teammates who create this environment; it’s just that the country is transitioning from one place to another.”
