A couple of days ago a young player with a handful of Proteas caps to his credit contacted me to ask what was going on at CSA. When I said I didn’t really know but that I was extremely worried, he asked whether he and his Franchise team mates would still have jobs by the time summer arrived. It was a serious question.
When I take a step back, I think, is this a crisis for (a) "cricket", or is it a crisis for (b) "sponsor-led, televised, professional, centrally-managed cricket" ?
We have transferred too much of our love and affection to "the centre" and kept too little for our own parks, gardens and schools. The best revenge is to live well: go to your local park and set up a game right now. And use your old bat and wear un-branded** clothes if at all possible. That will make them grind their teeth in Glenhove Avenue. (** I don't see GM or NB standing up to help but maybe they are...very quietly)
Of course, the top end of the game draws us in, thrills us, and gives us hours of enjoyment. No argument there. I would prefer the top-end game to continue with tournaments and televised matches where I can see Morris, Shamsi and Ngidi having a full go at the batters. But at what cost?
Cricket should be seen as bigger than these chaps in Glenhove Avenue. It is bigger than Standard Bank, and bigger than Graeme Smith and Tendulkar and Bradman put together. We can play it for fun and we do. All the time.
But for the media, the sponsors, and the advertisers, it is all much easier to promote "professional cricket" as the whole thing when it is just a part, albeit a very shiny, noisy and exciting part. Imagine if we all watched famous people braai on television and forgot to braai at home? How crazy would that be? But that is what we are doing with cricket. (I bet Dean Elgar always burns the wors and Ntini would probably add the meat when the fire is still too hot.)
There is another side to all sport, including cricket. Just playing it for fun and enjoyment.
Maybe the much bigger problem is that we rely too much on "the centre". The universe does not require us to have one national team that will be sponsored and managed by Sascoc and CSA. There are many ways to have fun with a bat and ball. The current setup is not just about the behaviour of the board or the CEO.
Send Quinton and Themba and Rassie and to play at George Hay park, or Delta Park or Diepkloof Park. The advertising-laden stadia can rot for a while. And journos won't ever be stopped from entering our parks in Edenvale or Germiston. You can report on some very fine and dramatic games. We'll give you a box to sit on, but not a box to sit in.
Surely the individual franchises , players and sponsors ( if any are left) can simply refuse to support CSA in its current form! Kick the clowns out and put good administrators who love the game and the players into key roles!!
So sad. I remember how this same process unfolded in Zimbabwean cricket 15 years ago as the looters and power grabbers seized control. The similarities are eerily similar. And look where Zim are now.
I have a close family relative that played franchise cricket and Proteas. He was told that as a white player he cant expect to play in all three formats...now what do you do as a young cricketer? You go overseas and play county cricket, where your talents are seen and appreciated. And you know what...he's never been happier! Is that all young white talented cricketers in SA's only options, In your opinion Manners?
Cricket Capture is actually the perfect term. Our cricketing potential is really too high to be consumed by such darkness :( Who can fix it dear Neil and how?
That is a crying shame! Greed for personal power and financial gain has always and will always be destructive........it is anti-social and very selfish.
The rest of world cricket is looking on in horror at what our great friends in South Africa are going through at the moment. World Cricket needs a strong, vibrant and functioning game in South Africa. We are all praying that a solution can be found as soon as possible, in the meantime you are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Afternoon Manners. I’m battling to find words at the moment. Our beloved country is not only being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is another pandemic at play here. Self enrichment, entitlement, destruction, racism, reverse-racism, etc. Our great sport, as our country is being ripped apart. I pray every day for a miracle person/s that will be able to bring stability and sanity to our land. I find it extremely difficult to be be positive about our future! I can’t blame ANY of our cricketers looking for a future elsewhere. All they want to do is play the game they love.
Our sports bodies are being “transformed” into looting treasure hunts. CSA will be bankrupt and close within 18 months. A couple of years later it will be rugby and athletics. It doesn’t matter what colour our administrators are but we need real sports people not cadres. Smith and Boucher will be snapped up overseas.
How do we as cricket supporters help? What can we do?
Small wonder that more and more sportsmen and women of all codes are seeking their fortunes elsewhere. Who can blame them.
Who are the members? What is their cricket history and credentials? Are we dealing with deployed cadre rent seekers or cricket lovers?
When I take a step back, I think, is this a crisis for (a) "cricket", or is it a crisis for (b) "sponsor-led, televised, professional, centrally-managed cricket" ?
We have transferred too much of our love and affection to "the centre" and kept too little for our own parks, gardens and schools. The best revenge is to live well: go to your local park and set up a game right now. And use your old bat and wear un-branded** clothes if at all possible. That will make them grind their teeth in Glenhove Avenue. (** I don't see GM or NB standing up to help but maybe they are...very quietly)
Of course, the top end of the game draws us in, thrills us, and gives us hours of enjoyment. No argument there. I would prefer the top-end game to continue with tournaments and televised matches where I can see Morris, Shamsi and Ngidi having a full go at the batters. But at what cost?
Cricket should be seen as bigger than these chaps in Glenhove Avenue. It is bigger than Standard Bank, and bigger than Graeme Smith and Tendulkar and Bradman put together. We can play it for fun and we do. All the time.
But for the media, the sponsors, and the advertisers, it is all much easier to promote "professional cricket" as the whole thing when it is just a part, albeit a very shiny, noisy and exciting part. Imagine if we all watched famous people braai on television and forgot to braai at home? How crazy would that be? But that is what we are doing with cricket. (I bet Dean Elgar always burns the wors and Ntini would probably add the meat when the fire is still too hot.)
There is another side to all sport, including cricket. Just playing it for fun and enjoyment.
Maybe the much bigger problem is that we rely too much on "the centre". The universe does not require us to have one national team that will be sponsored and managed by Sascoc and CSA. There are many ways to have fun with a bat and ball. The current setup is not just about the behaviour of the board or the CEO.
Send Quinton and Themba and Rassie and to play at George Hay park, or Delta Park or Diepkloof Park. The advertising-laden stadia can rot for a while. And journos won't ever be stopped from entering our parks in Edenvale or Germiston. You can report on some very fine and dramatic games. We'll give you a box to sit on, but not a box to sit in.
Surely the individual franchises , players and sponsors ( if any are left) can simply refuse to support CSA in its current form! Kick the clowns out and put good administrators who love the game and the players into key roles!!
So sad. I remember how this same process unfolded in Zimbabwean cricket 15 years ago as the looters and power grabbers seized control. The similarities are eerily similar. And look where Zim are now.
I have a close family relative that played franchise cricket and Proteas. He was told that as a white player he cant expect to play in all three formats...now what do you do as a young cricketer? You go overseas and play county cricket, where your talents are seen and appreciated. And you know what...he's never been happier! Is that all young white talented cricketers in SA's only options, In your opinion Manners?
Bring out the guilotine now..publicly remove the mentally challenged
Cricket Capture is actually the perfect term. Our cricketing potential is really too high to be consumed by such darkness :( Who can fix it dear Neil and how?
Thanks Manners, great to get some understanding of the underworld of the game that gave me so much.
That is a crying shame! Greed for personal power and financial gain has always and will always be destructive........it is anti-social and very selfish.
The rest of world cricket is looking on in horror at what our great friends in South Africa are going through at the moment. World Cricket needs a strong, vibrant and functioning game in South Africa. We are all praying that a solution can be found as soon as possible, in the meantime you are all in our thoughts and prayers.
Afternoon Manners. I’m battling to find words at the moment. Our beloved country is not only being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. There is another pandemic at play here. Self enrichment, entitlement, destruction, racism, reverse-racism, etc. Our great sport, as our country is being ripped apart. I pray every day for a miracle person/s that will be able to bring stability and sanity to our land. I find it extremely difficult to be be positive about our future! I can’t blame ANY of our cricketers looking for a future elsewhere. All they want to do is play the game they love.
Our sports bodies are being “transformed” into looting treasure hunts. CSA will be bankrupt and close within 18 months. A couple of years later it will be rugby and athletics. It doesn’t matter what colour our administrators are but we need real sports people not cadres. Smith and Boucher will be snapped up overseas.