The South Africa Emerging team played in division 2 of the
2023 CSA One-Day Cup; it was the first time the team had participated in the tournament, and the squad was constitute of players aged 18 to 23. The squad included members of the South Africa under-19 team to give them greater experience. Teeger made his
List A debut on 28 September 2023, playing for South Africa Emerging Players side against North Cape in the 2023 CSA One-Day Cup. He scored a half-century batting at number three position, scoring a 69-ball 51 including a
six and a four. South Africa Emerging won the division 2 final against
Free State Knights. Teeger scored 95 not out. He was captain of the South Africa national under-19 cricket team during 2023. He was relieved of the captaincy on 12 January 2024 by a controversial decision of
Cricket South Africa (CSA). He remained a member of the squad.
Controversy In October 2023, Teeger won the Rising Star award at the Jewish Achiever Awards. At the awards ceremony he said that "the true rising stars are the young soldiers in Israel", and dedicated the award to "the South African family that married off one son while the other is still missing. And...to the state of Israel and every single soldier fighting so that we can live and thrive in the diaspora." The South African family he referred to is that of Rabbi Doron Perez whose one son was injured during the
2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel but subsequently recovered and got married. The rabbi's other son has been missing since the attack. In response, Cricket South Africa appointed respected advocate Wim Trengove SC to perform an independent enquiry to establish whether Teeger had breached the code of conduct of either CSA or Central Gauteng Lions, the local provincial club for which he plays. The investigation had three terms of reference, to determine whether or not Teeger: • Should be charged with "unbecoming or detrimental conduct"; • Made statements at the award ceremony that "were detrimental to the game of cricket"; or • Made statements that were "detrimental to relations between the competing teams". Teeger's submission to Trengove stated that he did not believe Israel was committing genocide, a view he said was held by many people and governments worldwide. He added that his words could, therefore, not be seen as supporting genocide, because he did not see Israel's actions as involving genocide. CSA publicly accepted the investigation's findings on 7 December 2023 saying that they had been "received, considered, and accepted". In Trengove's report, he mentioned that Mr Azhar Saloojee, "a director" of
Diadora South Africa, had said Diadora would not sponsor any matches in which Teeger participated. Diadora is an Italian sportswear company. After news reports of Diadora's boycott where published, Juan Carlos Venti, at Diadora Italy, distanced the company from Mr Saloojee, who he said was not connected to the company, and with whose comments the company did not agree. In December 2023, Teeger was re-appointed to captain the
South Africa national under-19 cricket team by Cricket South Africa. He led the team in this capacity in a three-team tournament with India and Afghanistan in late December and early January, scoring 47 runs in four matches. During the tournament, a group of pro-Palestine protesters peacefully protested Teeger's appointment. They picketed outside the main gate of the
Newlands Cricket Ground where the match was held. They were subsequently moved to a specific area designated for protesters where they continued protesting with no incident. A small group of protesters sat in one of the stands inside the grounds displaying Palestinian flags in a non-disruptive way. CSA said they expected the number of protesters to increase during the World Cup if Teeger remained captain. In a statement, CSA explained that "We have been advised that protests related to the war in Gaza can be anticipated at the venues for the tournament. We have also been advised that they are likely to focus on the position of the SA Under-19 captain, David Teeger, and that there is a risk that they could result in conflict or even violence, including between rival groups of protestors. CSA has a primary duty to safeguard the interests and safety of all those involved in the World Cup and must accordingly respect the expert advice of those responsible for the safety of participants and spectators. In all the circumstances, CSA has decided that David should be relieved of the captaincy for the tournament. This is in the best interests of all the players, the SA U19 team and David himself."
Reaction In an immediate reaction to the removal of Teeger's captaincy, Karen Miller, national chairperson the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), called the action "shameful" and asserted that "[t]here [was] no basis for this decision, other than the fact that Teeger is Jewish". The board pledged to do everything in their power to have the decision reversed. The Western Cape branch of the
African National Congress which is the provincial official opposition to the DA in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature released a press statement. In it they congratulated the new under-19 captain on his appointment and condemned the DA for defending the "Israeli genocide supporter, David Teeger" and for being on the wrong side relating to the genocide of the Palestinian people. It further condemned the DA for threatening to take the issue to the Human Rights Commission. The National ANC controls the National Parliament and the Provincial Legislatures of the other eight provinces. South Africa under the leadership of the ANC has
instituted proceedings against the
State of Israel before the
International Court of Justice (ICJ),
alleging that Israel has committed, and is committing,
genocide against
Palestinians in the
Gaza Strip, in violation of the
Genocide Convention. == References ==