Where did J-J Go?

Following up with David Richardson's advice.

Dave Richardson was dismissed by the great Waqar Younis for eight and by the almost equally prolific Mushtaq Ahmed, first ball, in the final Test of the 1997 tour of Pakistan before the South African team travelled straight to Australia for another three-Test series.

Professional cricketers were different animals a quarter of a century ago. They had interests outside the game and, in some cases, jobs and careers off the field. Richardson was a partner in a Port Elizabeth law firm when international cricket returned for South Africa. He looked at things differently.

“Why,” he asked me one day, “do the media only talk to players who do well in a match? Surely that’s not always where the best story is? Sometimes you should talk to the guys going through a bad patch to understand how hard this game can be…”

In the Boxing Day Test at the iconic MCG Richardson was lbw to Mark Waugh and Glenn McGrath for one and 11 before moving to the SCG for the New Year Test in which he, like most of his team mates, was utterly flummoxed by Shane Warne, bowled for six in the first innings before chipping a return catch to the great man in the second, without scoring.

Having put together a sequence 8,0,1,11,6,0, I thought I’d take Richardson’s advice and ask him for an interview before the third Test at the Adelaide Oval. In those days we could actually speak to the players – and they to us – without ‘permission’ or the intervention of a media officer: “Oh piss off, Manthorp,” he replied, grinning wryly.

He had been suffering for months, if not years, with the pain from a debilitating hip injury and retired a week later.

The SA20 Player Auction made me think of Richardson. While all hype, focus and attention was being lathered upon those whose lives had been changed, I couldn’t rid myself of the image of hopeful cricketers with the auction on TV, watching but trying not to. Or vice-versa. All those players who weren’t signed, or didn’t even receive a bid. And those who had contracts last year but were surplus to requirements this time around.

There may be others, but here are some of those were ‘dropped’ this year: Daniel Smith, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks, Tshepo Moreki,
Matthew Boast, Thomas Kaber, Jon-Jon Smuts, Okuhle Cele, Andile Phehlukwayo, Simon Harmer, Junior Dala, Caleb Seleka, Migael Pretorius, Keith Dudgeon, Wayne Parnell and Colin Ingram.

Different names will jump out to different people; Parnell was a captain two years ago and it’s to imagine that Matthew Boast isn’t amongst the country’s best under-23 players. Migael Pretorius is highly valued in other leagues… Jon-Jon Smuts scored 298 runs and had an economy rate of 7.4 two years ago to play a significant role in taking the Durban Super Giants to the final. So, I gave him a call:

“I was pretty hopeful, quite confident, actually, so obviously I’m disappointed,” he said. “I’m only 36-years-old and I believe I still have a lot to offer, especially in South African conditions. But good luck to everyone who was signed. The SA20 is a great product and it’s a fantastic tournament to play in.” Smuts was the CSA 1-Day Player of the Year.

He watched the auction. What did he make of it? “I would never, ever have thought somebody would be bought for R16million. That makes Dewald (Brevis) about 80 times more valuable than everyone who was bought in the lowest bracket, which is something to get your head around – not that I’m saying he doesn’t deserve it!”

I express my personal distaste for the concept of auctions – and particularly the hype around money. Also, the ‘randomness’ of the process which often favours the players drawn early as Franchises scramble to buy quickly lest they end up empty-handed. Smuts treads carefully…

“I understand what you mean but, if that sells the league, if that’s what people want to see, then I guess it is what it is. It is a little ironic how it is sold as ‘life-changing’ but that’s only for a few players at the very top. The majority of players are sold for R200k and, once the taxman has taken his cut, they’re left with about R120k which, with respect, doesn’t change many lives.

“It does help if you get a favourable draw. There’s a quite a bit of luck involved, like if two or three teams have a player in their plans and it’s early in the auction when they’ve all still got money in their budget. But I’m not complaining. If I wasn’t rated, then that’s it, but it does hurt.” Did he hear from anyone afterwards?

“A couple of senior players from the teams did message me, actually, to say they were very surprised I wasn’t sold and ‘good luck’, that sort of thing. That was good of them,” Smuts said.

So how does his January look now? What will he do while the tournament is on? “There’s still three months before it starts so you never know what might happen with injuries or withdrawals. But I’m very keen to be playing so I will enter the auction for the ILT20 and try my luck there. I think I’m still pretty good at this game…”

*(Many readers tell me they’ve ‘been meaning to’ buy me a coffee. Don’t be shy. I’ll share one with Jon-Jon if you do… 😊 And please remember, a monthly subscription is only the price of one coffee!)