Ken Borland

The world’s best T20 cricketers are once again coming to South Africa, and this time the country won’t fall victim to any financial scandals, according to CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul.

Faul confirmed at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday that South Africa would once again host the Champions League T20 tournament – a spin-off from the Indian Premier League – in October.

South Africa also hosted the 2010 event, just when the whole IPL bonus scandal was gathering steam.

“I’m sure that if bonuses are paid, the correct governance procedures will be followed this time,” Faul said on Thursday.

The acting CEO said South Africa had been asked to host the tournament again because the home grounds of three of the IPL teams that have qualified – Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai – will be out of commission in October, while Australia, the other founder members of the CLT20, aren’t suitable because of time zones – most of India is asleep when matches would be played Down Under.

“India obviously have a lot of venues that could host the tournament, but the venues of the teams that qualified have problems.

“Mumbai will have a problem hosting a Pakistan team, for obvious reasons [the 2008 terrorist attacks], it’s monsoon time in Chennai and Kolkata has a religious festival, which leaves only Delhi,” Faul said.

“Plus the attendance figures are highest in South Africa and the logistics at our stadia are very good.”

Faul confirmed that the qualifying tournament will also be held in South Africa. Seven teams have already qualified: IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders will join runners-up Chennai Super Kings and third-placed Delhi Daredevils as India’s three representatives, alongside Australia’s Big Bash League champions Sydney Sixers and runners-up Perth Scorchers, and South Africa’s Nashua Titans and bizhub Highveld Lions.

Three more teams come from the multi-national qualifying series featuring the domestic T20 champions in Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies, Pakistan and England.

DAY-NIGHT TEST A POSSIBILITY

Faul had even more exciting news for the fans of the longer versions of the game when he announced that Cricket South Africa would be trialling day/night cricket at first-class level, with a view to playing a night test.

The move follows the ICC’s Chief Executives Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur.

“We were encouraged to try and host night tests. Obviously our board must first approve this and then we have to get the buy-in of our coach and players, and then of course the opposition still have to agree!

“But the idea really excites me and it was the highlight of the chief executives’ meeting for me,” Faul said. “I understand that we’ll use a pink ball and, according to the New Zealand CEO [David White], Kookaburra have made a ball that is good enough for night tests.

“Maybe it’s the way forward for test cricket to evolve and it could be very beneficial for the longer forms of the game. But I’d be nervous just rushing into it at test level, we’ll probably start with a first-class match,” he said.

“It’s early days, but I can see it happening in the near future. I’m just scared of the different conditions between day-time and night-time and the dew factor at certain of our grounds.”

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/champions-league-t20/news/120628/Best_domestic_T20_sides_heading_for_SA

Cricket South Africa are excited by the prospect of experimenting with day/night Tests, acting chief executive Jacques Faul said in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Faul told a news conference that the instruction given to the Full Member Countries to begin investigations into the viability of day/night Tests had been the highlight of the International Cricket Council’s Chief Executives Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur this week.

“We were encouraged to try and host night Tests. Obviously our board must first approve this and then we have to get the buy-in of our coach and players, and then of course the opposition still have to agree!

“But the idea really excites me and it was the highlight of the chief executives’ meeting for me,” Faul said.

“I understand that we’ll use a pink ball and, according to the New Zealand CEO [David White], Kookaburra have made a ball that is good enough for night Tests.”

While Faul was thrilled with the prospect of day/night Test cricket, he warned that it would be too risky to just rush into the new playing times.

“Maybe it’s the way forward for test cricket to evolve and it could be very beneficial for the longer forms of the game. But I’d be nervous just rushing into it at Test level, we’ll probably start with a first-class match,” he said.

“It’s early days, but I can see it happening in the near future. I’m just scared of the different conditions between day-time and night-time and the dew factor at certain of our grounds.”
Faul also confirmed that the Champions League T20 tournament would be coming back to South Africa this year, after Sundar Raman, a member of the CLT20’s technical committee, confirmed it on the social network Twitter.

“The protocol is for CLT20 to announce it first, but you can’t beat a tweet and it’s only fair to our public that I say ‘yes, we are hosting it’,” Faul said.

The acting CEO said the CLT20 board’s decision to go back to South Africa in October after they hosted the 2010 tournament was due to Indian venues not being available.

“India obviously have a lot of venues that could host the tournament, but the venues of the teams that qualified have problems.

“Mumbai will have a problem hosting a Pakistan team, for obvious reasons [the 2008 terrorist attacks], it’s monsoon time in Chennai and Kolkata has a religious festival, which leaves only Delhi,” Faul said.

Chevrolet Knights batsman Dean Elgar is hoping to transfer how good he feels in practice out into the middle as the left-hander eyes another summer and another push to make the national team.

This search for runs will begin on Saturday when Elgar heads out to the crease for South Africa A against Sri Lanka A in a four-day game at Kingsmead in Durban.

“I had two good knocks in warm-up matches here and even when I’ve been practising in Bloemfontein I’ve just felt really good, in fact this is the best I’ve ever felt,” Elgar said on Tuesday at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria where the SA A squad are training ahead of the series against the Sri Lankans.

“So the confidence and the technique are there, I just have to apply and execute,” Elgar added.

This could well be the year that Elgar finally makes his international debut as he has been a prolific scorer at domestic level for several years now and he was chosen in South Africa’s squad for the one-day international series against Sri Lanka but had to withdraw without playing a match due to a knee injury.

“I had a bite of the cherry but then my knee had other plans. It’s one of those things, that’s cricket, but when you’ve got a personal goal like playing for the national side, you don’t get disheartened by things like that,” the 25-year-old said philosophically.

Elgar believes he could fit into either the test or ODI team, but admits “there are awesome players currently in the national side”. He would like to open the batting in the longer form of the game, but would be happy to slot in anywhere in the limited-overs line-up.

“I think I’m firmly positioned as an opener in four-day cricket, but in the one-dayers I can bat anywhere between one and five. I had a lot of success for the Knights batting in the middle-order, but the national team chooses you where to bat, you don’t choose where you want to bat!” Elgar said.

The Welkom-born former SA U19 captain is also a fine fielder and can also bowl accurate left-arm spin, which can only help his chances of making the ODI squad.

His temperament is proven by the number of times he has saved the Knights from precarious positions, his grittiness and sheer survival instinct at the crease drawing comparisons to former Australian opener Justin Langer.

“The important thing is to be patient and just keep doing what makes you successful, what I’m comfortable with in my game. You don’t want to tinker too much because that can be the recipe for disaster,” Elgar said.

The summer may well start with Elgar once again with the SA A team – when they head to Zimbabwe for the triangular series there with Sri Lanka A it will be his seventh tour with them – but it could well end with him having finally made the step up to full international colours.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-a-team/news/120626/Elgar_full_of_confidence_for_summer_ahead

National selector Vinnie Barnes said on Tuesday that he was surprised both by South Africa’s lack of success in Zimbabwe and the conditions which the team played in during the T20 triangular series.

South Africa were hammered by nine wickets by Zimbabwe in the final of the tournament last weekend, having been beaten once each by both the hosts and Bangladesh in the round-robin stage.

“I was a bit surprised, I thought we’d play better. I know there was a bit of rustiness and they were up against international bowlers, especially the slower bowlers, who are world-class. It was also difficult for the batsmen because it was not easy just to come in and score runs,” Barnes said at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria on Tuesday.

“I was also surprised by the conditions. Last year when South Africa A played a triangular series with Zim and Australia A, the conditions weren’t like that at all. At the start, teams were defending 230 in 50 overs, but, by the end, teams were scoring 300.”

The T20 triangular series was regarded as a warm-up/trial for the ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka in September, and South Africa will probably be met by similar conditions on the sub-continental island.

“Some places in Sri Lanka will be similar, but at others you’ll be looking to defend 200. But the pitches will generally be slow and turning and the ball won’t be bouncing much,” Barnes conceded.

But the former national assistant coach said the trip should not be regarded as a failure, because it has brought more clarity to selection, some players advancing their cause and others dissuading the national selectors of their suitability.

“We definitely have more clarity now, it gives us ideas of what combinations will work. Gary Kirsten wanted specific players to rest for the tour and we wanted to have a look at fringe players, we wanted to know what was available for our best 15 for Sri Lanka,” Barnes said.

There has been a simmering air of discontent over South Africa’s strength in depth after the unexpected results, but Barnes, who is currently coaching the SA A team, put the inconsequential defeats into context.

“Lonwabo Tsotsobe is still the number one ranked bowler in limited-overs cricket, even though it was disappointing to see him not being so effective, and Wayne Parnell and Marchant de Lange are both quality bowlers who are coming up through the system.

“Our preparations this winter are all about the A team shadowing the national side and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the energy and drive and ambition there is to play for the national team. It’s higher than I expected, even more than last year.

“A lot of time and effort is spent with the A team and we give them all the necessary tools to get them where they should be,” Barnes said.

As the South Africa A team prepare to do battle with Sri Lanka A in two four-day matches, plus a one-day triangular series in Zimbabwe against the same opposition and their neighbours, it would be stupid to write off the system that has served brilliantly as a pipeline in the past, based on one poor series of matches that were being used more as a trial than competitive outings.

Even though Quinton Friend is likely to sit out with a strained back, South Africa A will still field a top-class attack with De Lange, Rory Kleinveldt, Ryan McLaren, Chris Morris and Parnell all available, while leg-spinner Imran Tahir will be making a guest appearance in the first four-day match at Kingsmead.

A batting line-up featuring Faf du Plessis, Farhaan Berhardien, Dean Elgar, Colin Ingram, Heino Kuhn, Richard Levi, David Miller, Justin Ontong and Dane Vilas should certainly also engender a great deal of confidence, and a clearer picture of South Africa’s depth should emerge after SA A complete the four-dayers and the limited-overs triangular on July 21.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120626/Barnes_surprised_by_lack_of_success