Last Hurrah for the (Old School) English Summer

Proteas Coaching Team signing up long-term?

South Africa’s Proteas will swap the sleepy, rural north of Australia for the bustling centres of English cricket over the next 12 days, playing three ODIs and three T20 Internationals in front of mostly sold out crowds which is interesting given what has been the usual packed English summer schedule – and the start of the football season.

One of the reasons may be The Hundred, which concluded on Sunday with the Oval Invincibles winning their third consecutive title with a comprehensive victory over the Trent Rockets. The tournament has many detractors but it has also achieved one of its core goals which was to attract a ‘new audience’ to the game.

The unintended side-effect, however, was that it alienated much of the old one. The Hundred has been a conspicuous success for Women’s cricket and it has undoubtedly appealed to younger followers but, it seems, a fourth format has been a little too difficult for many older, mostly male viewers to digest. The South African series gives them a chance to ‘sign off’ from the international season on their terms.

There is also the reality of sporting tribalism in the United Kingdom in which entire cities can be divided into ‘red’ and ‘blue’ supporters – as in the case of Manchester and Liverpool. Most Indian cricket lovers are more immediately attracted to the prospect of watching and following individuals rather than teams which makes the IPL’s merry-go-round of players and mega-auctions unproblematic. But elsewhere, the teams are the major attraction which is why many viewers outside of India find their composition and constant disbanding confusing.

South Africa is probably somewhere in between. Whereas Yorkshiremen will probably never be comfortable with sons-of-the-soil Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root playing for Welsh Fire and Trent Rockets in The Hundred, perhaps South African fans have become accustomed to seeing true-blue Titan Heinrich Klaasen turning out for the Durban Super Giants.

The Hundred and the SA20 are the same age and are still growing up and finding their feet in sporting society. The English competition will have to do so all over again having now been IPLised for £500+ million.

The SA20 might, however, want to reconsider its projected relationship with money. “Millions on the line at Betway SA20 Season 4 Player auction,” yelled the headline on last week’s press release. “Big pay day awaits South African cricketers in biggest auction to date.”

“Who is going to be South African cricket’s next multi-millionaire?” the release asked, somewhat proudly, before gushing about the remaining R131 million the six franchises have to spend on rebuilding their squads. We were reminded, again, that each team has R41 million at their disposal – “the second-highest salary cap after the IPL.”

Sport is littered with the casualties of players who prioritised their pay-cheque over performance and there is no shortage of wizened coaches who advised young players to “perform on the field and the rewards will take care of themselves.” There is nothing wrong or shameful about SA20 cricketers being well-rewarded. Indeed, it really is something for the organisers to be proud of, but not necessarily to shout about.

In an era which is producing more administrators than ever who know “the cost of everything but the value of nothing,” it seems important to remember that good cricket and the provision of playing opportunities to aspirant youngsters is what might provide the SA20 with its point of difference. ‘Big’ is not always ‘better’.

Very much behind the scenes in the Proteas camp three men are settling in for the ‘long run.’ After years of uncertainty and upheaval, mostly off the field, moves are afoot to provide stability in the national set-up now that Shukri Conrad has his feet under the desk of all formats.

Batting coach Ashwell Prince, bowling coach Piet Botha and fielding coach Kruger van Wyk are negotiating long-term contracts to work with the national team across all formats providing welcome continuity. All three have international experience – significant and exceptionally successful in Prince’s case – and all three clearly have the trust and respect of the players. That has been obvious over the course of the last year.

Whereas England are still, it seems, phlegmatic about consultant coaches coming and going (Tim Southee will be around for the first Ashes Test in Perth before leaving to play in the ILT20) South Africa have opted for trust and continuity. Apart from anything else, familiar faces – outside the head coach who also has the casting vote on selection - allow players to ‘confess’ about doubts and misgivings in their own games without necessarily jeopardising their selection. Both approaches have merit.