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Ken Borland



Nkwe defends schedule as CSA ignore calls for more red-ball cricket 0

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Ken

Calls for increased red-ball cricket for the country’s domestic players have been ignored by Cricket South Africa in the fixtures for the forthcoming season, but director of cricket Enoch Nkwe has defended the schedule, saying there will be opportunity for more four-day cricket when there is more sponsorship for the format.

The coming season will once again see just a single round of matches in the CSA 4-Day Domestic competition, plus a five-day final. The majority of the competition will be played between November 4 and December 30, with two rounds in February and the final scheduled to begin on February 28. A shortage of long format cricket has been blamed for the Proteas’ poor results in recent years, especially in Test cricket.

The SA A team will also play three four-day matches against West Indies A between November 21 and December 8. But the programme will then be overwhelmed by T20 cricket, with not only the SA20 in January but then a T20 Challenge for more than seven weeks from March 8 to April 28. Most of the country’s top players will be unavailable for this tournament, with the IPL starting on March 29. And, at the end of a long season and so close to the SA20, there is bound to be an element of ‘cricket fatigue’ amongst fans and players.

“We did look at a double-round first-class competition, but we decided to put more investment into the SA A team,” Nkwe told Rapport. “Making a very strong Test side is a priority, and we can expose a pool of players in the SA A side, allowing Test coach Shukri Conrad to see them up close.

“We spend close to R300 million on all aspects of domestic cricket, on and off the field, and our members [unions] add to that as well. With more investment in four-day cricket, we will be able to have a double round, but it costs more because of the longer accommodation. We’re still looking to engage the corporate world on assisting with that,” Nkwe said.

In terms of a seven-week T20 competition shorn of its top players at the end of the season being a hard sale, Nkwe said it was an opportunity for fringe players to put forward their credentials.

“Ideally we’d like our T20 to be played before the SA20, but it’s a challenge fitting it all in. It all depends on what is more the priority in each season. This season we are starting with the One-Day Cup this month because of the 50-over World Cup beginning in October. Then with the next T20 World Cup in June 2024, we want to play a lot of T20 leading up to that.

“The T20 Challenge will test our system, it’s what we’re looking to implement – to tap into our depth by providing opportunities and growing it. I’ve seen really good T20 players in Division II and hopefully the competition will bring a different energy.

“Yes, there will be pressure at the back end of the season, but we had a long season in 2019, that was a lot more hectic. Managing players has become our number one priority, and also keeping our domestic cricket strong. But the ICC schedule is a challenge, making us juggle things. It will be red-ball cricket that is the priority in some seasons,” Nkwe said.

The former Proteas coach said they would also be encouraging the teams to transact loan agreements to ensure a high standard of play in domestic cricket.

“The loan system has always been there – you’ll remember I brought Lizaad Williams to the Lions in the 2019 T20 Challenge – it’s just not being used. But we’ll be encouraging the coaches to work together because we can’t have our best talent not playing.

“We’ve hit the reset button for domestic cricket because we recognise that it adds a lot of value, it is impactful in the way it feeds into the Proteas. We’ve introduced a five-day final to mirror what the World Test Championship does, SA A playing the middle of the season is a big investment and we’ve reinstated the Colts competition. It’s about a strong pathway moving forward and we are slowly all getting aligned,” Nkwe said.

Zondo able to marry experience with fighting spirit 0

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Ken

Khaya Zondo was able to marry the experience he has in domestic cricket with a fighting spirit as he top-scored for the Proteas on another torrid day in their Test series against Australia on Saturday, and he is confident that he and his team-mates can do it again on Sunday’s final day to save the third Test in Sydney.

Zondo scored a career-best 39 in nearly two hours at the crease as South Africa struggled to 149/6 in the two sessions that were able to be played on the fourth day. That means they are still 127 runs short of avoiding the follow-on; they are likely to have to bat through 98 overs on Sunday, but they do have 14 wickets in hand on a pitch that demands watchfulness but is far from a minefield.

Zondo shared partnerships of 48 with Temba Bavuma (35) and 45 with Kyle Verreynne (19).

“We have one day to bat, we have done it before so I’m sure we can do it again,” Zondo said after stumps on the penultimate day at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The pitch is like the one in Pietermaritzburg, so it’s familiar to me as a Durban player.

“It’s not quick, there’s turn every now and then and it’s not reversing a lot. They are just using the crease and creating angles. The short ball doesn’t get up, so that is the only challenge from the perspective of facing the seamers. You’ve got to watch it and play instead of trying to get under it.

“The conditions dictate how you must play, whether the ball is turning or not, the pitch is quick or slow; and Temba and I felt out there that we needed to be quick on our feet, whether we were coming down the wicket or going back in the crease. Certain shots are better options,” Zondo said.

Although he is 32-years-old, Zondo’s sole real experience of Test cricket has been against the powerful English and Australian attacks, away from home and in often testing conditions for batting. His Test debut against Bangladesh last April came as a Covid substitute on the final day when South Africa had already completed their batting. His seven innings have now brought 120 runs at an average of 20 – figures that suggest he is worth persevering with, especially when compared to the returns of some of his colleagues who have been given more opportunity.

The Westville Boys’ High School product is feeling positive about his prospects, a mood he said is shared by his team-mates in the changeroom despite their miserable time in Australia.

“I’ve only had a short international career, I’ve only played England and Australia at their homes and those are two top attacks,” Zondo said. “But it’s been a good experience.

“It’s comforting to know that I am able to play against the best and hold my own. It’s just about spending more time at this level and then hopefully I can dominate one day.

“If I’m selected more, then I have to make sure I perform to play every game. The last year has been challenging, but if you can get through that then you can play at this level.

“For me it’s about taking every opportunity, playing as much cricket as I can get. If it’s first-class cricket, then I must go there and nail that; if it’s SA A games, then I must nail that,” Zondo said.

CSA’s dictatorial treatment of Magala should receive more attention 0

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Ken

Temba Bavuma and the Proteas will no doubt still receive more than their fair share of flak for the next few weeks following their shock exit at the hands of the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup, but it is only right that Cricket South Africa come under scrutiny too for their handling of the domestic game.

The Proteas are the end result of whatever comes through the domestic system, so that pipeline is of vital importance. The first domestic tournament has already come to an end with the Northerns Titans winning the CSA T20 Challenge in Potchefstroom last weekend.

As provincial cricket so often is these days, it was a low-key event, not helped by it all taking place in one little university town. But CSA’s cost-cutting necessities are understandable.

But what is neither understandable nor acceptable is the way CSA impose so many other agendas, other than performance simply being the be-all and end-all, on the provincial teams.

The fact that CSA issued a directive forbidding the Central Gauteng Lions from choosing their star player, Sisanda Magala, simply because he failed their fitness tests, should cause all the provincial CEOs to rise up and reject such interference in their affairs by the mother body.

Magala is the sort of T20 specialist, with his death-bowling skills and hard-hitting batting, who could have made the Lions genuine contenders for a tournament in which they finished fifth, just two points away from the semi-finals.

The Lions missed out on vital promotion/relegation points because they were severely hamstrung by CSA. A player on the fringes of the national team – many believe he should have been in Australia for the World Cup – was also denied the opportunity to further build on his sizeable reputation.

And Magala’s credentials have not just been praised by great fast bowlers such as Dale Steyn and Shaun Pollock; the most ruthless judges of them all, the Indian IPL team owners, clearly rate the 31-year-old very highly too – he was bought for R5.4 million by the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20 Auction.

Magala’s ‘crime’ was that he cannot run a two-kilometre time trial in eight minutes, 30 seconds, missing out by a few seconds and that was enough for some jobsworth at CSA to ban him from playing in the CSA T20 Challenge. The big lad is actually pretty athletic in the field and never has a problem bowling his four overs and is quite capable of running quick singles. Where running two kilometres applies to batting and bowling I would love to know.

With so much at stake for the provinces – relegation would be a financial disaster for a team like the Lions – the day is surely coming when they challenge any policies imposed on them that stop them from performing at their best.

This over-emphasis on arbitrary fitness tests is surely something that falls under the ambit of director of cricket Enoch Nkwe and he needs to address it.

Not having Magala, one of our best cricketers, playing is also doing a disservice to transformation. In order to reach their targets, the Lions actually had to rope in a club cricketer to replace their star all-rounder on the morning the tournament started.

Magala’s treatment is just yet another example of South African cricket hurting itself. How did forcing him on to the sidelines serve the game or make it better?

Perhaps the day South Africa finally win a cricket world cup is the day when high performance, winning or getting results (call it what you will) is the only focus for our teams.

All your domestic cricket squads for 2022/23 0

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Ken

Cricket season is upon us again with the domestic teams kicking off their campaigns on Friday with the Division II T20 competition.

First Division action starts on October 17 in Potchefstroom, where their T20 tournament is being held.

We run the rule over all their squads and their prospects for the coming season, which is a vital one because at the end of it, there will be promotion/relegation based on the combined performances in all formats over the last two seasons, the bottom team being replaced by the top side in Division II.

Current team points standings – Northerns Titans 35; Central Gauteng Lions 23; Boland Rocks 19; Eastern Province Warriors 14; Western Province 14; KZN Dolphins 10; North-West Dragons 10; Free State Knights 4.

SQUADS

Northerns Titans: Lizaad Williams, Theunis de Bruyn, Okuhle Cele, Dayyaan Galiem, Junior Dala, Neil Brand, Sibonelo Makhanya, Corbin Bosch, Aaron Phangiso, Aya Gqamane, Jiveshan Pillay, Simon Harmer, Heinrich Klaasen, Dewald Brevis, Donovan Ferreira, Musawenkosi Twala. National contracts – Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Lungi Ngidi, Aiden Markram, Tabraiz Shamsi.

Outlook – While their batting success, in the absence of their internationals, will be focused on the likes of Theunis de Bruyn and Neil Brand, they do bat deep. Sibonelo Makhanya had a breakthrough season last year and Dayyaan Galiem, Aya Gqamane, Corbin Bosch and Simon Harmer are all bowling all-rounders. The bowling attack will be potent with Lizaad Williams, Junior Dala, Bosch and Harmer. In white-ball cricket, Dewald Brevis and Donovan Ferreira are two of the most exciting young players in the pipeline.

Central Gauteng Lions:Bjorn Fortuin, Wiaan Mulder, Lutho Sipamla, Jonty Rapulana, Ryan Rickelton, Josh Richards, Dominic Hendricks, Sisanda Magala, Malusi Siboto, Codi Yusuf, Mitchell van Buuren, Levert Manje, Duanne Olivier, Evan Jones, Cameron Delport, Tladi Bokako. National contractsTemba Bavuma, Reeza Hendricks, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen.

Outlook – The old tried and tested Lions outfit, one of the dominant forces in recent years, has been bolstered by the arrival of Evan Jones from Northern Cape, who wields the bat in white-ball cricket like Thor wields his hammer. The batting holds much promise with three of the brightest young talents in Ryan Rickelton, Josh Richards and Mitchell van Buuren, while their pace attack can really hurt the opposition. Perhaps the only weakness is the lack of a proven red-ball spinner, but at home at the Wanderers that shouldn’t matter much.

Boland Rocks:Pieter Malan, Isma-eel Gafieldien, Ferisco Adams, Christiaan Jonker, Siyabonga Mahima, Ruan Terblanche, Imraan Manack, Shaun von Berg, Clyde Fortuin, Achille Cloete, Hardus Viljoen, Michael Copeland, Stiaan van Zyl, Khwezi Gumede, Bamanye Xenxe, Hlomla Hanabe, Farhaan Behardien. National contract – Janneman Malan.

Outlook – The strength of the Boland team will once again be in white-ball cricket, in which they defend the T20 Challenge title. The power of Janneman Malan and the consistency of Pieter Malan, and the experience of Stiaan van Zyl and Christiaan Jonker, has now been boosted by the arrival of veteran finisher Farhaan Behardien. Hardus Viljoen is the pace spearhead of an attack that is strong in the spin department and has the skills of Ferisco Adams.

Eastern Province Warriors: Matthew Breetzke, Wihan Lubbe, Sinethemba Qeshile, Glenton Stuurman, Marco Jansen, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Lesiba Ngoepe, Rudi Second, Akhona Mnyaka, Diego Rosier, Jordan Hermann, Tsepo Ndwandwa, Tristan Stubbs, Beyers Swanepoel, Ziyaad Abrahams, Kgaudise Molefe. National contract -Anrich Nortje.

Outlook – The list of exciting young batsmen in the EP team is long and has been added to by the arrival of Jordan Hermann, who scored a century and three fifties in his first six innings for Northerns last season. Tristan Stubbs and Lesiba Ngoepe will spearhead their limited-overs efforts. The bowling attack is willing and able too, and the Warriors finished as runners-up in the four-day competition. Their title aspirations will also depend on how often they have Jansen and Stubbs available.

Western Province: Kyle Verreynne, George Linde, Tony de Zorzi, Nandre Burger, Jonathan Bird, Mohamed Vallie, Kyle Simmonds, Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks, Daniel Smith, Dane Paterson, Ethan Cunningham, Eddie Moore, Aviwe  Mgijima, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana.

Outlook – There are some exciting young batsmen down at Newlands, but Western Province would love a bit more experience in a batting line-up that will depend heavily on Kyle Verreynne, Tony de Zorzi and Eddie Moore. Their bowling attack has depth and potency though, with two quality spinners in George Linde and Kyle Simmonds, and three excellent left-arm pacemen in Wayne Parnell, Beuran Hendricks and Nandre Burger.

KZN Dolphins:Ottniel Baartman, Daryn Dupavillon, Marques Ackerman, Eathan Bosch, Ruan de Swardt, Sarel Erwee, Lifa Ntanzi, Jon-Jon Smuts, Thando Ntini, Bryce Parsons, Grant Roelofsen, Jason Smith, Khaya Zondo, Tshepang Dithole, Prenelan Subrayen, Andile Simelane. National contracts -Andile Phehlukwayo, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Keegan Petersen.

Outlook – The KZN Dolphins will surely be more competitive this season given the all-round strength of their team. The likes of Sarel Erwee, Grant Roelofsen, Marques Ackerman and Khaya Zondo provide a quality top four, new acquisition Jon-Jon Smuts, Ruan de Swardt, Bryce Parsons and Jason Smith are all-rounders, there are four potent pacemen in Ottniel Baartman, Daryn Dupavillion, Eathan Bosch and Thando Ntini, and a top-notch spinner in Prenelan Subrayen. Given how little Test cricket the Proteas will be playing, Keegan Petersen will probably be a batting kingpin for them as well.

North-West Dragons: Delano Potgieter, Nicky van den Bergh, Lesego Senokwane, Senuran Muthusamy, Tumelo Tlokwe, Eldred Hawken, Wesley Marshall, Lwandiswa Zuma, Shaylen Pillay, Kerwin Mungroo, Renaldo Meyer, Khanya Cotani, Caleb Seleka, Duan Jansen, Grant Mokoena, Heino Kuhn. National contract -Dwaine Pretorius.

Outlook – With all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius unlikely to be available much, North-West need to get the best out of batsmen like Heino Kuhn, Wesley Marshall and Grant Mokoena, because Nicky van den Bergh and Senuran Muthusamy had to rather carry them last season in the batting department. They will need all their meagre resources to fire on all cylinders to avoid relegation at the end of the season.

Free State Knights:Mbulelo Budaza, Gerald Coetzee, Patrick Kruger, Jacques Snyman, Migael Pretorius, Pite van Biljon, Raynard van Tonder, Alfred Mothoa, Nealan van Heerden, Patrick Botha, Aubrey Swanepoel, Isaac Dikgale, Nhlakanipho Mpungose, Jason Raubenheimer, Gihahn Cloete, Matthew Kleinveldt.

Outlook – Pite van Biljon can always be relied on for runs and there is talent aplenty in Coetzee and Pretorius, while Budaza and Mothoa are bowling workhorses. But a questionable batting line-up needs Raynard van Tonder to return to his prolific best. The Knights are fighting for their survival in the top division.

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  • Thought of the Day

    1 John 2:5 – “But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.”

    James 2:14 – “What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?”.

    Love without action is useless.

    If you love God unreservedly, you will offer your best to him and be willing to serve him wherever he wishes to use you.

    Love has to manifest itself practically.

    “Love requires uplifting and inspirational deeds.

    “How genuine can your love for God truly be if you are aware of a serious need and do nothing to alleviate it?”- Solly Ozrovech, A Shelter From The Storm



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