South Africa sack U19 captain citing security concerns over Gaza conflict

Hosts South Africa have decided to remove David Teeger from captaincy for the Under-19 Cricket World Cup amid concerns that he might become a target for anti-war protesters. Teeger will, however, continue to be a part of the squad, according to officials' confirmation on Friday. Teeger was subjected to an independent inquiry established by Cricket South Africa (CSA) last month after making comments in support of Israeli soldiers in the ongoing Gaza conflict at an awards ceremony in October.

Representative image: South Africa on Friday removed David Teeger as their U19 captain(GETTY IMAGES)

Despite being cleared of wrongdoing by the inquiry, his demotion from the captaincy came amidst tensions related to the South African government's accusation of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).