Haroon Lorgat needs to clear out 'serious allegations', says former South Africa skipper Ali Bacher

Former South African captain Ali Bacher has said that Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Haroon Lorgat needs to explain the allegations against him as they are of 'serious nature'.

Bacher spoke on Thursday after adventurer Mike Horn reportedly confirmed that there was 'political interference' in the South African camp before their World Cup semifinal against New Zealand last month. Reports in the media had recently indicated that Lorgat had told Domingo via SMS to pick an 'extra player of colour' in the team before the semifinal in Auckland. However, CSA and Lorgat strongly denied the reports.

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Horn, who helped South Africa at the recent World Cup, has since confirmed that there was indeed 'political interference', Sport24 reported. He confirmed that the initial plan was for the same team that crushed Sri Lanka in the quarterfinals to play against New Zealand in the semi-finals. He revealed that the players were clearly 'unhappy' about what transpired and that he was tasked with 're-motivating' them for the semifinals.

Bacher said that the allegations against Lorgat have become 'serious' and he needs to give 'answers'. He said that if a quota system exists in the national team, then it must be made official, adding that there would be people who would either accept it or not.