Ken Borland

AB de Villiers plundered 61 off 24 balls to lead his Eagles team to a commanding total of 160-4 in their 12 overs, something neither the Kites nor the Kingfishers were able to chase down in their 3TCricket match in Centurion at the weekend, and afterwards said he enjoyed the format and it definitely was something worth continuing.

The new format sees three teams of eight playing at the same time, with each side batting for six overs against each of their opponents. With Aiden Markram firing alongside him in a dazzling innings of 70 off 33 deliveries, captain De Villiers was the first to lift the Solidarity Cup, with Kites posting 138-3 and the Kingfishers finishing on 113-5.

“It was great fun and lovely to just be out there, I’ve been pretty frustrated not playing any cricket. It was great to have a hit-around and the format is pretty good. It definitely has scope for the future, I liked the flow of the game that you spend time in the dugout and the teams rotate. I was also incredibly impressed by a lot of the bowling. I thought they’d be rusty but they were nailing their yorkers and clearly there’s a lot of talent around.

“I also really like that the leading team at halfway bats first in the second innings because chasing is definitely an advantage in limited-overs cricket. This was just one of those rare occasions when we were able to take our score out of reach. My only suggestion would be to have teams start from zero again in terms of wickets lost when you bat again, because otherwise they try to consolidate and think of the next innings. With that bit of insurance, teams can have a really attacking mindset,” De Villiers told The Citizen after the match.

With De Villiers in scintillating form, his starring role has again raised questions about his possible return to the Proteas, at least in T20 cricket, in which a World Cup is scheduled for October in Australia but is probably going to be postponed to next year. The 36-year-old said the Covid-19 pandemic has left everything in limbo, but he still has an interest in playing for South Africa again.

“I have no idea when I’ll be playing cricket again, there’ve been lots of talks about all sorts of leagues. So I will just stay fit and keep hitting balls. It’s difficult to commit myself a year ahead of time, but I have a good relationship with Graeme Smith [director of cricket] and Mark Boucher [Proteas head coach] and I would love to play again. But once we know what the calendar will be like then we can sit down and I will make a decision because I have to be either in or out,” De Villiers said.

After a fractious week in South African cricket, the launch of 3TCricket has provided some balm, with an air of unity and reconciliation at SuperSport Park as all the players wore black armbands with Black Lives Matter written on them and all three teams, the officials and the commentators took a knee before the start of play in support of the movement. “I’m happy with how things have unfolded, we’ve had really good communication, nobody felt left out and it was all explained to us. Black Lives Matter and the campaign against Gender Based Violence were the causes that were the focus for today and it was most important for us to show that unity,” De Villiers said.

Sharks consultant Brendan Venter has supported Gary Gold continuing as the coach of the team for the Currie Cup as well as next year’s Super Rugby competition, saying that if they can’t find anyone suitable then they must rather stick with what is already in place.

The Sharks confirmed at the weekend that Gold will be the head coach for the Currie Cup, with Sean Everitt and Ryan Strudwick as his assistants.

Strudwick, a former Sharks forward, recently steered the University of KwaZulu-Natal to the Varsity Shield title and replaces Brad Macleod-Henderson, who resigned two weeks ago.

“We had approached and considered a replacement for Brad, but we have, after consultation with all stakeholders including the team, decided that it will be in the best interest of the side and for continuity for me to oversee the campaign with the assistance of Sean and Ryan,” Gold said in a statement released by the Sharks.

“The Sharks need security and longevity in their coaching structure and they can’t afford to get the coach wrong this time. So if Gary has to coach Currie Cup as well, then so be it, if there’s no-one else suitable,” Venter said.

The 1995 World Cup winner said it was even more important that the Sharks get their structures right.

“The Sharks need to create a more sustainable long-term structure. They need to develop their own young players and not depend on signing everyone in the Free State every second year. They need to develop that pipeline from the U19s to the academy, through to the U21s and then Vodacom Cup.

“Gary needs to do that and every day that is delayed is a setback. I will be there as a consultant, working with John Smit and Gary, giving advice and creating a debate,” Venter said.