The second Test between South Africa and West Indies, which begins here today, bears many similarities to the first, not least because off-the-field occurrences have received rather more attention than they deserve. Principal among these is the inclusion of Herschelle Gibbs in the home squad.

Gibbs takes the place of Adam Bacher in the only change to the team which won the first Test by four wickets. His inclusion, however, owes nothing to cricketing sensibility and everything to political correctness.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa has decided that from next year all provinces will be expected to include players of colour in their first teams. In addition and with immediate effect the national side will not take the field without a player of colour unless the selectors can give exceptionally good reasons to the contrary.

In the first Test the only player in the squad who was not lily-white was Paul Adams but the left-arm wrist spinner was in such lamentable form that he could not be picked for the second. So the selectors have opted for Gibbs and, in this instance, his inclusion is tokenism of the worst kind.

He is promoted to the Test team because he is coloured. What message does that send to the people of the Rainbow Nation? That apartheid was not all bad? That all men are equal, but those with the correct skin hue are more equal than others? And how does it sit with the player himself? Tried, tested and failed at Test level, and short of runs for his province this season, he is suddenly good enough to open the batting for his country - and all because of some pre-election political posturing by critics of the UCBSA with hidden agendas.