There have been some long tours in the last 30 years but never one which started with 10 days in isolation or one which ended with so much to do before boarding the flight home. There will be great relief if, and when, the plane takes off, and lands, after three postponements.
Hired as a red-ball specialist for 20 days of Test cricket, I prepared diligently for eight-hour partnerships between Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane - personal experiences of Chennai and Ahmedabad would be useful. In the event, the talkSPORT commentary team had just 14 of the India/England series days to describe and knowledge of the best vegetarian restaurants and Gandhi’s Ashram was not required.
The extra six days ‘off’ would have been a delight in times gone by but, in times gone by we would have been in India not an adapted commentary suite on the 17th floor of the News Building next to London Bridge station. Humans adapt quickly but the weirdness still tapped you on the shoulder from time to time.
Wake-up calls at 2:45am, coffee in student proportions overlooking the lights of a sleeping capital and the delivery of the bacon rolls at the start of the final session of play at sunrise as the majority of the office staff arrived for work. There was a rhythm to it for the first two Tests which was oddly broken for the Day/Night third, all two days of it. In case you missed the news, the pitch was officially rated ‘average’ after the game. It spun. It’s India. It was fine.
Long runs around Clapham and Wandsworth Commons, along the Thames counting the bridges. Always been obsessed with London’s bridges. No restaurants or pubs, of course, just take-away coffees. Even invested in a Costa loyalty card. Should have done the same with Sainsbury’s having been through the full range of ready-made meals for one half a dozen times. The CSA T20 Challenge was on TV which was an unexpected surprise.
More unexpected was receiving my Astra Zenica Covid vaccination and the greatest surprise of all was waking up the following morning feeling physically beaten up with a temperature. Much better 24-hours later. The vaccine wasn’t part of the job offer but rates as one of the better bonuses of my career.
There was a lot of time to stay focused on events at Cricket South Africa. Much has been achieved, most notably by the Operations Team headed by Director of Cricket Graeme Smith and the silently efficient Mike Gajjar with the critical assistance of Chief Medical Officer Dr Shuaib Manjra. Between them and their staff the Momentum One Day Cup, T20 Challenge and Four Day Franchise Challenge have been staged with a staggeringly small number of Covid incidents.
The level of skill and expertise required to successfully stage both domestic and international cricket may never be fully appreciated by lovers of the game, even in years to come. The time, effort and sacrifice required contributed to the anger at the arrogant disregard offered by Cricket Australia with their last-minute decision not to honour their three-Test commitment.
Off the field I fear the administrative storm clouds are gathering once more. A strong clique amongst the antiquated CSA Members Council is preparing to block the Interim Board’s attempts to transform the organisation’s MOI to incorporate a board of directors with a simple majority (five out of nine or seven out of 12) of independents. The new board should also be chaired by an independent.
The National Party, it seems, might have been able to vote itself out of power for the greater good of the nation in the 1990s, but the Members Council aren’t willing to reshape their amateurism for the good of cricket. The Minister of Sport and Recreation, Nathie Mthethwa, has made it clear to the Interim Board that the independence of CSA’s new board is a non-negotiable part of their mission. More seedy squabbling and unaffordable lawyers fees seem inevitable. Rarely have I hoped harder to be wrong.
Seven more international matches await next month with the arrival of Pakistan to conclude the summer with four T20Is and three ODIs. Like everyone else I hope to bury myself in the satisfaction of the contest between bat and ball and forget everything else. With luck I’ll also be able to have dinner with my family and run with the dogs rather than warm up another fish and leak pie with broccoli and peas.
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Good luck on getting the second vaccination in South Africa.
Thanks Neil - always a good read and a pleasure listening to you on SportsTalk from Dubai. Let us know on which station to catch your SA commentary when you are back. Emirates is now flying in one direction with passengers to JHB from Dubai. Progress. Hopefully you can fly back to Dubai with them from the end of March or during April some time. Cheers.