Roelof, Cyclone Gabrielle...

Frozen Pizza and Bazball

    30-odd years reporting and commentating on the game around the world and there are still ‘first’ moments, like shopping for three days of food and other supplies on official government advice and then hunkering down to await the arrival of a cyclone, three days before a Test match.

    However, only the frozen pizzas and bags of pasta part of that was a first. It occurred to me that most of my 13 tours to Sri Lanka have involved epic storms and mini-cyclones. Apart from a few large bags of cashews, which are compulsory purchases anyway when visiting the country, there was never any suggestion of food-hoarding.

    If this cyclone (due in about two hours) is anything close to the extremes suggested two days ago, then the first thing likely to fail is the electricity supply. Which will leave my TalkSport flat-mate, Jon Norman, with the challenge of heating the pizzas and boiling the pasta with a box of matches. I will offer support with a glass of wine from the bottle I safely secured under the sofa. Just in case.

    The Bay Oval is “the best draining cricket ground in the world” we were told by Black Caps coach, Gary Stead, after training today. Which makes sense as it is also the most recently constructed international venue and is built on a base of sand. Even after three days of incessant rain, cyclone Gabrielle due to deliver a lot more shortly and more showers forecast from the start of the first Test on Thursday, I’d still bet on a result. Ben Stokes is obsessed with achieving results in Test cricket.

    I left South Africa before the SA20 final but I didn’t miss it. The jet-lag from an 11-hour time difference left me in perfect condition to watch it live on TV at 3:30am, although the rush is now on to correct my body clock for the start of play in three days’ time. It was an absorbing contest befitting an immensely successful tournament.

    Roelof van der Merwe used the term ‘Moneyball’ when discussing the composition of the Sunrisers Eastern Cape squad, a reference to the brilliant book by Michael Lewis which charts the remarkable story of the unfancied Oakland Athletic baseball team in the late 90s which achieved unprecedented success on a limited budget.

    Unlike baseball teams the SA20 Franchises all started with the same budget but, in common with the Oakland Athletics, they made some unusual purchases which turned out to be inspired gambles. In the case of the Sunrisers, van der Merwe was undoubtedly referring to himself and opening batsman Andy Rossington, amongst others.

    At the age of 38 the former Titans and Proteas all rounder is enjoying a golden summer to his career with Somerset in England and the Netherlands whenever his county commitments permit. Not only was he man-of-the-match in the final with four vital wickets but captain Aiden Markram insisted he was the catalyst which sparked the team into action after losing their first two group games.

    Englishman Rossington, 29, has shown flashes of genius during a professional career already a dozen years old without ever fully establishing himself in three county teams and various Franchises around the world. He carries significantly more weight around the waist than is fashionable for a professional cricketer but there is nothing wrong, and never has been, with the way he hits a cricket ball.

    Too much emphasis is placed on the leading run-scorers and wicket-takers during T20 tournaments. They are useful tools for television producers and marketeers but the batters and bowlers with the highest strike rates are more likely to contribute to winning games than those with the heaviest weight of runs and wickets.

    Jos Buttler (391) and Faf du Plessis (369) scored the most runs and there is no question that neither of their teams would have reached the play-offs without their contributions but Rossington, who finished in eighth place with 246 runs, had the highest strike rate (166) of any batter who played the whole tournament. Even if he only scored 30, the fact that he did so from just 17 balls afforded Markram the time to settle. Markram (366) was the third highest scorer in the tournament.

    Now that an appropriate period of time has lapsed for celebration (24 hours is about the norm with today’s global calendar) it seems right to hope that all those involved in the success of the tournament remember to be as inclusive as possible and share the euphoria. There were many loyal servants of the South African game, and not just players, who felt, and were, excluded from the outset. They need to feel the love now and be reminded that they are still appreciated and have a part to play in the future.

    There are dozens of provincially contracted cricketers who were idle for a month. Junior and even some senior administrators were metaphorically and even literally required to vacate their offices while the new team owners moved in with entourages of their own staff.    

    Even as far away as New Zealand, which has just concluded its own domestic T20 competition, the SA 20 was ‘noticed’. At least, the ‘difference’ was noticed between South Africa’s tournament and all the others in the world, apart from the IPL. The difference was the crowds, and the size of them. The SA20 board instructed its marketeers to target the people because capacity crowds optimise revenue – and that has nothing to do with gate receipts which are largely inconsequential.

    The result of this two match series in New Zealand may also be inconsequential – it is not part of the WTC and neither team was in the running for the final anyway – but Stokes and McCullum were both adamant before their partnership began that ‘having fun, putting bums on seats’ and reinvigorating interest in Test cricket were their priorities. They have already achieved them. Gabrielle might be given a run for its money if and when play starts.

    Live ball-by-ball commentary will be on talkSPORT2 and a daily Podcast from the series is available from ‘FollowingOn.’