Rebuild with Purpose, not Anger

But don't be afraid of the Deep End

    Emotions were running high amongst cricket fans after the first Test at the Gabba in Brisbane but it’s fair to say they were out of control after the debacle in the second Test at the MCG. It’s wild out there. Above and beyond the immediate disappointment and embarrassment of the result was the realisation that South Africa will almost certainly have no chance to rectify it in future.

    The current malaise in administrative relations between Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia will pass and a happier, more cooperative era will arrive in future. Eventually. But it still won’t lead to another Boxing Day Test if the SA20 does its job and drives a path back to financial sustainability for the game.

    CSA has already blocked off all international cricket in the mid-January to mid-February window for the next five years to accommodate the SA20 effectively leaving only the December-January window and the Easter break as windows in which they can host international cricket during holidays. And the March/April window is likely to be closed to SA’s best players in future years by the expanding IPL.

History will thus record South Africa’s last two Boxing Day Tests as the very best in its history and one of the worst. After 98 years of trying for a series win in Australia, they finally achieved it in 2008 with 166 from J-P Duminy, a ninth wicket partnership of 180 and ten wickets from Dale Steyn. When they lost their seventh first innings wicket they were still 10-runs from avoiding the follow-on.

    From that, a stunning, come-from-behind nine-wicket victory on the fifth day, to defeat by an innings and 182 runs in four days in a Test match featuring just a handful of overs of competitive cricket courtesy of the pace and determination of Anrich Nortje. The only surprising aspect of the defeat was that so many people were surprised by it following the two-day humiliation in Brisbane.

    The “sack them all and start again” reaction is understandable and has some merit. But the rebuild needs to be tackled with strategy and purpose rather than anger and retribution. The dismal showing in Australia is not, for example, Malibongwe Maketa’s fault. He is a proven coach with a good domestic record and deserves a decent run as head coach. Neither is it the result of player ‘quotas’ which are a soft and convenient target when things go wrong.

    As South African cricket enters its new world, centred around and dominated by the SA20, strong leaders will need to ask hard questions and deliver honest answers. Where does Test cricket sit on the long-term priority list? If there is a genuine desire to pursue excellence and be competitive then structural changes and, just as importantly, philosophical changes need to be made.

    Seven first-class matches in the first division won’t sustain existing players, let alone develop new ones. If a sponsor cannot be found for the CSA Four-Day Challenge then perhaps one could be enticed by an intense, regional tournament of four teams, over and above provincial cricket, each playing each other once, for a significant prize fund. North, South, East and the Rest. Or Central. It would, at least, ensure a concentration of the best players and strength vs strength.

    But the notion of cricketers traditionally learning their craft and ‘earning’ their national call-up after years of toil in domestic cricket also needs to be revisited. Once in a generation a precociously talented young player is given the opportunity to learn about international cricket ‘on the job’ but, for the majority, the old value systems still apply. ‘Score runs and take wickets consistently for three years and we might have a look at you.’ Those attitudes must be challenged because the world has changed. There is less time.

    Tristan Stubbs might be an example. He sees the ball well, hits it extremely well, is keen to learn and is smart. Rather than waiting for him to battle his way into his provincial starting XI and then ‘prove’ himself for two years, how about an intensive week of physical and mental training with Hashim Amla and Neil McKenzie, amongst others, during which he bats for four hours at a time in the middle (rather than the usual 40 minutes in the nets) and really ‘listens’ to what is required to play Test cricket. Then play him in a Test match. What’s the worst that can happen? It can’t get any worse than the last two weeks.

    Learning by repetition was phased out of most schools many years ago because it was found to be inefficient and limiting. But many ‘traditional’ cricket coaches cling to the belief that batters and bowlers need to face and deliver many thousands of balls in the accepted manner of a particular format before they are ‘ready.’ The accepted wisdom has been passed down through many generations ever since limited overs cricket established itself in the early 1970s.

    If it’s too much to digest immediately, at least we should be asking the questions. If not, perhaps we should spare ourselves the grief of disappointment, buy some fancy dress outfits and embrace the SA20, accepting that other formats will become novelty items featuring on the periphery of the game and eventually fade away. Those who enjoy watching Test cricket will always be able to watch the Ashes and India playing England and Australia on TV.

++  Last week I attempted to embrace the spirit of ‘giving and goodwill’ and set myself the challenge of writing a column to justify the greater cricket community’s re-embracing of David Warner following years of erratic, aggressive and unpleasant behaviour. I thought I did a pretty good job – given how difficult I found it. Many thanks to the many of you who contacted me to express your surprise and disagreement. You were right. Even after scoring a brilliant, match-winning double century, he couldn’t find it in himself to be gracious, unless there was a television camera in front of him. Carry on. As you were.