Ken Borland

Between Christmas and New Year – perhaps in a planned move to escape scrutiny – Cricket South Africa’s Members Council made a final decision to do away with the franchise system and instead implement a 15-team, two-division domestic structure.

It was certainly a contentious decision but the majority won out. Which is hardly a surprise because there are only six franchises and nine other provinces were always going to vote in their own self-interest for a place at the top table.

Cricket South Africa is a federation that is under enormous financial stress, which the Covid-19 pandemic is only making worse, so the fact that they should be expanding when most people would suggest they tighten their belts is a move that defies logic in many ways. A shrinking pie now has 15 mouths to feed instead of just six.

Where exactly the money is going to come from to ensure all 15 teams, especially teams seven and eight that will be ‘promoted’ to the premier division, are competitive is a major concern for me and for other provincial presidents I have spoken to. A commission set up a few years ago by CSA, when their financial outlook was much rosier than today, found that the system could only support a maximum of eight fully professional teams.

My other concern is that the Proteas are in a definite state of rebuilding, making it even more vital that there is a top-class domestic pipeline feeding them battle-hardened cricketers whose skills and temperament have been properly tested by strength-versus-strength cricket.

CSA’s statement announcing the domestic restructuring said they had “resolved to accept the recommendations of the David Richardson Task Team”, which makes it sound like there was just a single proposal put before the Members Council. Which is not true.

Richardson himself offered various scenarios while it is known that the South African Cricketers’ Association, the players’ union, presented numerous different models for consideration.

It seems, speaking to those who support the restructuring, that the extra teams will be encouraged to become more self-sufficient by seeking out their own sponsors. While this is a noble ideal, in reality this is pie in the sky. CSA used to have a dozen or so generous sponsors but since the economic downturn and their own almost total loss of reputation, that has dwindled down to a single-digit figure.

As one provincial president said to me: “One of the questions most asked is where the money is going to come from? Which sponsor is going to come in with lots of money during Covid and considering the current state of CSA? The affiliates are already struggling as we speak so are CSA going to have to subsidise everything? There were meant to be two T20 tournaments that were going to make a lot of money, there was the assumption that sponsors would pick up on those and pour money in, but they didn’t.”

But another provincial president says the affiliates will definitely be better off.

“It looks like there will be decent funds distributed and the affiliates will be a lot better off. We will still get money and top-up grants from CSA and I think it might work out really well. Some of the non-franchise teams already have good sponsors. And a certain amount of the money that was being spent on the franchises will be spread between the teams because there is no longer duplication of jobs when it comes to coaches and physios,” that president says.

But the expenses involved in running a professional cricket team are not small. The daily rate to run a stadium these days is about R50 000, while CSA only pay a hosting fee of R15 000 a day. The average cost to put on a single T20 match is R168 000. Even the bigger franchises are already considering retrenchments and I cannot see teams based in places like East London, Kimberley or Pietermaritzburg being able to compete on a level footing simply because the economies in those areas are really struggling. Life is a grind in those places for the majority of the population. And leading players and coaches are not going to gravitate towards those minor centres without big inducements.

Yes, it is good that there will be more playing opportunities for our professional cricketers – apart from the 70 who will lose their jobs because of this restructuring – but will those cricketers based in the smaller centres be playing competitively with the big guns: Central Gauteng, Northerns, KZN Coastal and Western Province?

Let’s hope that CSA get the right outcome from a decision almost certainly made for the wrong reasons.

A return to the Proteas is not on fast bowler Kyle Abbott’s radar right now, but the former Kolpak star said on Thursday that he always keeps an eye on South African cricket, which is why he believes the domestic restructuring that will do away with the six franchises is exactly what the game here needs.

Abbott this week joined the Titans until the end of the season, the expiration of the Kolpak system meaning he is once again available to South African teams as a domestic player. The 33-year-old, who played 60 matches for the Proteas across all three formats, was previously a stalwart for the Dolphins, turning out 122 times for the franchise.

But after Covid travel restrictions wrecked his 2020 plans – he did not play a single game for Hampshire, his English county side who have signed him as an overseas player for another two years – Abbott says his focus is on regaining his best form with the Titans.

“At the moment the Proteas are not in my immediate view, after a very tough 2020 when I basically didn’t play I just want to get back into the space I was in 18 months ago, I want to get back to that level. It’s quite difficult because the body had a nice rest, but I lost that competitive edge. After such a long layoff I need an environment that is going to be hard, I need to be outside my comfort zone.

“But South Africa and the Proteas are still very close to my heart and I’ve always got my eye on them. It seems everyone is now incredibly happy in that environment, which is great to hear. And the change to 15 teams and two divisions in domestic cricket is exactly what South African cricket needs right now. That’s how the first-class game works in the UK and it is the strongest in the world.”

England are the top side in white-ball cricket and ranked fourth in Tests, with Abbott saying their power comes from the competitiveness of their domestic game.

“To have that number of teams playing every week can only strengthen the game and in Division One you have the top four or five teams trying to win the trophy and the bottom four are fighting to avoid relegation, so the strength and competitiveness of the league are excellent. It’s been a long time coming but South African cricket needed to do something that puts more value on results.

“In the past you would have a couple of rained-out games and then a draw and you’d be out of it with nothing to play for. But relegation is a terrible thing, no-one wants to be relegated, it’s a horrible feeling, so you keep fighting. I know what that’s like because in 2017 when I first played for Hampshire it came down to the last hour of the season whether we’d be relegated or not. South Africa have a number of first-class facilities, from Buffalo Park to Potchefstroom, and they should use all of those,” Abbott said on Thursday.

While an injury-depleted Sri Lankan side beaten 2-0 on the Highveld is not going to provide the best measure of the Proteas’ progress as a Test side, South Africa have nevertheless ticked some boxes in the recent series. These are the positives coach Mark Boucher can carry forward to the tour of Pakistan and then the home series against Australia.

• The Proteas have a pair of veteran batsmen in Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis that the rest of the batting line-up can bat around.

The gritty, tenacious qualities of Elgar at the top of the order have always been apparent, but the 33-year-old is now also leading from the front with a more positive, aggressive mindset. Good starts are crucial for a batting line-up to consistently produce the goods and Elgar’s reliability is undimmed.

Du Plessis has brushed aside any suggestions his Test days may be numbered through his sheer hunger to still be playing, to still improve and still be scoring big runs. To have him in the crucial No.4 position, looking as good as he ever has, is a massive boon for the Proteas.

• Lutho Sipamla’s successful introduction to Test cricket has increased South Africa’s pool of quality fast bowlers.

Sipamla suffered a nervy first day in Test cricket when he bowled his first 12 overs for 66 runs, going maiden and wicket-less. But he ended the series with highly creditable stats of 10 wickets for 167 runs; in other words, after his tough start, he bowled 27.5 overs and took 10 for 101. Although obviously still raw, the 22-year-old showed he certainly has something. The spells where he was able to find a consistent line and length were especially probing.

With Kagiso Rabada making his way back from injury, Beuran Hendricks also in the picture and much excitement over the potential of Glenton Stuurman, the Proteas have half-a-dozen quicks to choose from.

• Wiaan Mulder has the potential to do a similar all-round job to Jacques Kallis.

Mulder is ostensibly a batting all-rounder, but we only saw glimpses of his talent with the bat during his useful innings of 36 in the first Test. But his bowling was a revelation as he finished the series with nine wickets at an average of just 20.55. The 22-year-old has wonderful skill with the ball and is clearly a thinking bowler. His control was also very good and, as Boucher said, he is not just a holding bowler but he also has a reputation for having a golden arm so he makes timely breakthroughs, as he did in both Tests. Which makes him an ideal fourth seamer, much like Kallis was. They are both bustling, strong bowlers and while Mulder will surely never touch the same heights of batting greatness as Kallis, he certainly has the ability to be an important run-scorer in the top six even.

• Rassie van der Dussen has made an encouraging start to life at No.3

Replacing the great Hashim Amla was always going to be massive boots to fill, but Van der Dussen has performed creditably at one-down in the batting order, averaging 45 there in four innings, with two half-centuries. His slow start at the Wanderers drew an unnecessary amount of criticism and the fact that his approach was perfect for the match situation was borne out by the collapse of nine wickets for 84 runs that happened after his matchwinning partnership of 184 with Elgar.

Mark Boucher conceded on Tuesday that his first series win as South Africa coach had come in their own conditions at home, but he was nevertheless pleased with several features of the Proteas’ play as they wrapped up a 2-0 triumph over Sri Lanka with an emphatic 10-wicket win in the second Test at the Wanderers.

“It was good to get the win, albeit in home conditions. But it was nice to see the batsmen spend some time in the middle and get some confidence back, and hopefully we can now build on that momentum in Pakistan. We will keep working on the technical stuff but they were quite solid on tough pitches. It was important for them to keep their intensity up and have a positive mindset.

“The bowlers have only played a handful of games between them, but they have lots of potential and they learnt pretty quickly. To see their growth makes me happy, if you compare them from that first innings at Centurion to how well they bowled here. They are a young group of bowlers and we just want them to keep it simple and try and get the best out of the conditions,” Boucher said on Tuesday.

While opening batsman Dean Elgar was the obvious choice for the man of the series award, scoring 253 runs at an average of 126.50, Boucher said the performances of rookies Wiaan Mulder and Lutho Sipamla were the other big positives of the rubber.

Mulder played a useful innings of 36 in the first Test at Centurion, while his skilful work with the ball – taking nine wickets at 20.55 – was brilliant and brought crucial balance to the attack. Fast bowler Sipamla topped the bowling averages for the series with 10 wickets at 16.70.

“I’m very happy to have Dean in such good form, he was nice and aggressive and technically I’m very happy with where he is too. He was able to score runs in tough conditions,” Boucher said. “We didn’t really see the batting side of Wiaan, but he is a very good batsman who could go into the top six. But he was fantastic for us with the ball, he’s there to make breakthroughs and it’s great to have that all-round option.

“Wiaan is still very young [22] but the talent is obviously there. And he has a great attitude, he’s so keen to learn and hopefully he can now stay on the park because I see a great future for him.

“One couldn’t judge Lutho on his first day in Test cricket because he had so many nerves. But he’s also very young [also 22] and he would never have felt that intensity of nerves ever before. But it showed Test cricket means so much to him, which is a good sign. He still needs to work on his lines and lengths, but he was definitely one of the positives.

“He learnt a helluva lot in this series, maybe he was a bit guilty of searching for wickets yesterday [Monday], trying to get some swing, and not hitting the deck hard, but today [Tuesday] he had decent pace and asked lots of questions,” Boucher said.