It's Time for Radical Thinking...

But some things will never change.

Guest column by Colin Bryden

Perhaps foolishly, I made a radical suggestion when I commented on Neil’s excellent article which posed the question: Can Test cricket survive without first-class cricket?

Neil pointed out that first-class cricket in South Africa is pitifully neglected to the extent that it is regarded by the administrators as “serving no purpose other than to cost money”.

I suggested that the current system of some 200 provincial players being paid salaries should be scrapped but added the caveat that I would need to write a long article to expound further on this idea.

Neil called my bluff, so here are some thoughts on the state of cricket today.

As a reference point, I am what some of my younger colleagues might regard as a “has-been”.

I retired as a newspaper journalist in 2009 although I edited the SA Cricket Annual until its demise in 2022 and I still do some work for an international agency when there is international men’s cricket in this country – which this season means I am virtually unemployed.

I am so old-school that I wrote about and got to know the likes of Graeme Pollock, Barry Richards and Mike Procter when they were young men. And I freely admit to not being as close to or as well-informed about the modern game as I was when I was in full-time employment.

Much has changed in my time but I believe some truths remain.

+ Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game, although it is not the most lucrative part of it.

+ In order to succeed consistently at Test cricket, a solid base of first-class cricket is essential.

+ Players who have honed their techniques in first-class and Test cricket are more likely to succeed in T20 cricket than those who have specialised in the shortest form from an early age.

I see the following as challenges in South African cricket:

+ The domestic first-class system is under threat. There is almost no public interest and the leading players seldom appear, mainly because of international commitments but also because on the rare occasions when they could be available they are often rested under “player management” protocols.

+ White-ball provincial cricket also attracts minimal following, in contrast to the SA20 competition in which the leading players do take part.

+ There are 15 provinces, all with a roster of players who are paid to be available to play provincial cricket throughout the cricket season. The return on investment in these players is virtually nil.

+ There seems to be a big gap between the A and B divisions, which makes the promotion-relegation system problematic.

+ The current structure effectively means there are three tiers with minimal crossover: International (elite players only), provincial (international players seldom play) and club (international and provincial players seldom play).

In my opinion, the provincial system could be simplified.

The emphasis should be on first-class cricket, with both the international and provincial schedules tailored to provide as much first-class provincial cricket as possible immediately prior to Test series, with maximum participation by the Test players. This would give the Test players ideal preparation as well as providing opportunities for provincial players to press their claims for Test selection.

There is a place for a B Section but not as a professional league.

The provincial white-ball schedule should be drastically reduced, the highlight perhaps being a T20 tournament ahead of a SA20 auction.

Back in the “old” days, during the isolation years – and before professionalism – the majority of cricket played was at club level. The leading cricketers played for and practised with their clubs on a regular basis.

A typical provincial season would consist of eight first-class matches and a handful of one-day games. The standard in those one-day games was high because club cricket (mainly played as one-day or one-innings games) was strong and most provincial one-day players were also playing highly competitive first-class cricket.

Fewer representative games would mean provincial players could play more regularly for their clubs, reducing the need for full-time cricketers while lifting the standard at club level – and creating competition for provincial selection, which in turn would, I believe, increase interest in provincial cricket among club players, the general public and, perhaps, sponsors.

Currently, it seems to me, the path to provincial cricket is blocked unless players are singled out at a young age and commit to playing full-time. This eliminates late developers as well as youngsters who would still like to play at a high level but have chosen to pursue careers outside the game.

My suggestion of scrapping salaries for provincial players was obviously extreme. I would certainly not want to put 200-odd people out of work.

Perhaps some sort of hybrid, semi-professional system could be introduced when current contracts expire. There would still be a top tier of nationally-contracted players with perhaps a second tier of players who would be paid retainers, some of whom would also be employed by their provinces as coaches, ground staff or in some other capacity when they are not playing.

Such a system would enable cricketers with no other source of income to make a living from the game, while not excluding those who choose to pursue long-term careers outside cricket.

I was immensely proud to be at Lord’s when Temba Bavuma’s team won the World Test Championship. Test cricket throughout the world is under threat but it remains the greatest form of the game and witnessing that victory was a highlight of a long career. In order for Test cricket to be strong, the structure supporting it needs to be viable.

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Colin Bryden entered journalism in 1965 and has spent much of his career writing about cricket. He spent several years in public relations and was heavily involved in the promotion of the Benson & Hedges Series. He accepts a small degree of responsibility for the popularising of cricket in coloured clothing, under floodlights and accompanied by music, albeit on a more modest scale than the SA20. He returned to journalism and reported for the Sunday Times on South Africa’s historic first tour of India, followed by the 1992 World Cup, the first tour of the West Indies and most major tours over the next decade and a half.