Ken Borland

Boland and North-West are the two teams that will join the six franchise centres in the new eight-team provincial-based Division I that will be introduced as part of the restructuring of the domestic game, Cricket South Africa announced on Monday.

Eastern Province (Port Elizabeth), Free State (Bloemfontein), Central Gauteng Lions (Johannesburg), KwaZulu-Natal Coastal (Durban), Northerns (Centurion) and Western Province (Cape Town) will be the other teams in Division I, while Limpopo and Mpumalanga gain first-class status and join South-Western Districts, Easterns, Border, KZN Inland and Northern Cape in Division II. The new system features automatic promotion/relegation between the divisions, but this will only kick in after the 2022/23 season.

The changes are based on the recommendations of the independent task team chaired by former Protea and ICC chief executive David Richardson, who explained the reasons for the ‘promotion’ of Boland and North-West to the top table.

“Boland have a tremendous fan base, especially amongst the coloured community, and there is a true love for the game and cricket culture around Paarl. Their stadium is of very good quality and they are very ambitious. They have excellent development pathways and they have contributed several players to the franchise system, while their provincial team has done consistently well.

“North-West are well-administered, they have done some tremendous infrastructure development in Potchefstroom and the university provides them with a huge opportunity to attract, develop and retain players. What I like the most about the new system is that there is no room for complacency; one of the biggest challenges of the franchise system was that there were no consequences for finishing sixth,” Richardson said on Monday.

Dr Stavros Nicolaou, the chairman of the CSA Interim Board, said the directors were confident the new structure would result in a stronger Proteas team out on the park.

“The recommendations of the Dave Richardson task team have been fully supported and endorsed by the board. We need domestic cricket to be a springboard for international excellence, that was a key consideration. We believe the new structure will give us a cutting edge in terms of competitiveness and more sustainability. It will optimise our potential in terms of the development of players and talent,” Nicolaou said.

Andrew Breetzke, the CEO of SACA, said it was a relief that the players could now have some certainty and they could move on from the restructuring issue.

“There’s almost been restructuring fatigue in our offices because we have been speaking abut this for five years, we just needed to get it done and move on. The positive is that we now have some finality because the uncertainty is not good for the game. We respect CSA have the right to make changes to the structure, and we have had extensive consultations with them,” Breetzke said.

“The move has triggered a number of issues with our current Memorandum of Understanding in terms of contracting of players. And 75 players are now out of the system. The end of the franchises will require new contracts and different allocations, and if teams are relegated then there needs to be a way for players to exit their contract. We’ve been focused on the cricket imperatives.”

Richardson said they had learnt from the past when the number of teams in South Africa’s premier domestic competitions had almost doubled from five to nine during his playing days in the 1980s and 90s.

“We started with five sides in the A Section and then teams were added so we went to nine in quite a short space of time. But there was no relegation so the teams at the bottom lose enthusiasm and focus and it just brings the whole quality of the competition down. Now there is opportunity across the board, but it depends on how well you play.

“Having promotion/relegation is probably the biggest lesson we learned from the past. The teams coming up to Division I will face a huge challenge because they will not be used to playing such high-quality cricket, but hopefully they will be able to best equip themselves for that. What I like most about the new system is that there is no room for complacency,” Richardson said.

The Imperial Lions, having already taken occupancy of a playoff place, rested some key players and still cruised to a seven-wicket victory over the Cape Cobras in their T20 Challenge match at Kingsmead on Friday.

Although the Lions left out Kagiso Rabada, Sisanda Magala and Dwaine Pretorius, another typically disciplined bowling performance restricted the Cobras to 144 for six after the Cape side elected to bat first.

Opener Reeza Hendricks then took charge of the run-chase, stroking a commanding 75 off 59 balls to lead the Lions home with three balls to spare.

Hendricks and Temba Bavuma (29 off 21) looked after the bulk of the runs with a second-wicket stand of 84 off just 56 balls, but Wiaan Mulder added the finishing touches with 25 not out off just 10 deliveries. It was the all-rounder’s first match in the tournament and, having also bowled decently (2-0-16-1), he might just have earned himself a spot in the playoff on Saturday.

Spinner Imraan Manack was tight for the Cobras, conceding just 20 runs in his four overs.

Left-arm spinner Bjorn Fortuin (4-0-29-2), opening the bowling as usual, struck immediately for the Lions as he had Cobras captain Tony de Zorzi caught off the first ball of the innings, skying a most unnecessary swipe across the line.

Zubayr Hamza, who has just rediscovered his best form, was most unfortunate to have to retire hurt with a groin strain and the pressure continued to pile on the Cobras as Kyle Verreynne, who had brought some urgency in his 21 off 16 balls, was outfoxed by fast bowler Lutho Sipamla as they slipped to 32 for three.

George Linde (22) added 37 with Christiaan Jonker as the momentum started to turn and the Cobras were able to post a competitive total after Jonker and Corbin Bosch added 59 off 48 balls for the fifth wicket.

Jonker fought hard, showed his experience and played some fine strokes in his 44 off 39 deliveries, while Bosch showed some sweet stroke-playing ability in his 32 not out off 26 balls.

Sipamla was an exciting addition to the Lions attack with two for 27 in his four overs, while left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso stopped the scoring rate most effectively, conceding just 19 runs in his four overs.

The T20 Challenge comes to an end in Durban this weekend with the Dolphins, inspired by Keshav Maharaj, in prime position at the top of the log and having already guaranteed a place in Sunday’s final.

There are no guarantees when it comes to Proteas selection of course, but it would be a major shock if left-arm spinner Maharaj was not in the South African squad for the T20 series against Pakistan starting on April 10 in Gauteng.

The first-choice Test spinner has been the bowler of the tournament, without question. In 16 overs before Friday’s match against the Titans, many of them in the powerplay, Maharaj has conceded just 55 runs at an incredible economy rate of only 3.43 runs per over. He has seven wickets in the bag as well.

Whether Maharaj makes it into the Proteas starting XI is another matter, however. If wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi is still considered the first-choice white-ball spinner – and Maharaj has certainly outbowled him in this tournament – then playing two spinners who are not batsmen would be risky.

Conditions in Johannesburg and Centurion are also not going to be as subcontinental as in Durban. But that being said, spin is going to play a key role at the T20 World Cup in India in October/November and Maharaj might turn out to be our most effective T20 spinner.

If both Shamsi and Maharaj are to play, it means South Africa will need a proper pace bowler who is good enough to bat at number seven. As luck would have it, the second-most economical bowler in the T20 Challenge happens to fit that bill perfectly – Chris Morris (4.67).

Bur for Morris, who has just gone for the highest ever sum at an IPL auction, to make a return for the Proteas, two things would need to happen.

Firstly, it may not qualify as a feud between the two of them, but there is known to be some iciness between Morris and CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith.

The former Proteas captain said some uncomplimentary things about the all-rounder’s heart and consistency while he was a television commentator, but perhaps he has mistaken Morris’s smiley personality and laid-back demeanour for not caring. Smith made a similar mistake when he first became captain and hastened the end of Lance Klusener’s international career, thinking his comment after their 2003 World Cup exit that they would have “more time for fishing” indicated a lack of commitment.

The second obstacle though is that Morris is in demand in T20 leagues around the world, as his R32 million price tag for the IPL shows. If the Proteas want him, they are going to have to woo him a bit in order to ensure he is properly available in the build-up to the World Cup.

Spinners have generally made the batsmen squirm in helpful conditions at Kingsmead, but Sisanda Magala is one pace bowler who has pushed himself firmly into contention for a Proteas call-up. He has been named in national squads before and has taken 10 wickets in four matches in Durban, doing especially well in difficult times like the death. Hopefully the selectors don’t shy away from choosing the burly, skilful seamer just because of his physical characteristics. Robbie Frylinck has been most unfairly criticised for his physical shape, considering how consistently good he has been for the Dolphins.

It’s the batting that has been a bit disappointing, even taking into account that conditions have been tricky. It’s the strike-rates that have been worrying – only five of the top-20 batsmen in the averages (Van der Dussen, Miller, Linde, Migael Pretorus & Smuts) are hitting 130+ in terms of runs per 100 balls, which is considered the benchmark for international T20.

The failure of any new young guns to grab the limelight in Durban means it’s probably going to be the same old faces in the Proteas batting line-up against Pakistan.

It’s confirmed! South Africa’s lack of Test cricket following the cancellation of the Australian tour will be alleviated somewhat by the confirmation that the Proteas will play two Tests against the West Indies in the Caribbean in June.

The tour will also include five T20 internationals, it being a World Cup year in that format.

The tour was originally scheduled for last July but became a casualty of the Covid-19 pandemic. South Africa have played just seven Tests since the start of 2020 and Australia’s decision to pull out of their tour, in which three Tests were meant to be played, at the 11^th hour was a huge blow both to the rebuilding efforts of the Proteas and the coffers of Cricket South Africa.

Cricket West Indies announced the tour on Thursday night as part of their statement confirming SuperSport as their new broadcast partners for sub-Saharan Africa, and CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith confirmed the news on Friday morning.

“We’re much pretty much there in terms of confirming the details, we still need to sort out the venues, but there will be two Tests and five T20s. We still need to sort out the Covid details as well and we have all that coming up next week once we are through our T20 Challenge,” Smith told Saturday Citizen on Friday.

Sri Lanka have arrived in the West Indies for three T20s, three ODIs and two Tests ending on April 2, and have taken up tenancy in Antigua, where all the games will be played. They were meant to play in St Lucia as well but arrived late due to positive Covid cases, including one for their South African-born coach Mickey Arthur.

The Proteas will be hoping for a couple of biosecure bubbles and a change in (beautiful) scenery during their tour, but they will be grateful just to be playing again. Their only other confirmed international cricket this year is the white-ball series they are hosting against Pakistan in April.