Ken Borland

Wayne Parnell is unlikely to be in any trouble with Cricket South Africa over allegations he took recreational drugs in India, CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul told supersport.com on Monday.

Parnell, who was in India playing for the Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League, was arrested in Mumbai in May during a police raid on a rave party. He and Indian spinner Rahul Sharma were, along with nearly 90 other people, given drug tests and, on July 20, television stations in India reported police had confirmed positive tests for the duo.

But Faul said CSA’s efforts to get official confirmation of these reports had so far been in vain.

“We’ve been trying to get official word from the BCCI and Indian police, but so far we’ve got nothing. The Indian police haven’t yet laid a charge against Wayne,” Faul said.

Faul added that for CSA to take action against the international they would need far greater evidence than what has currently been made available to them.

“To take action against Wayne will be next to impossible at the moment because the whole process over there has been shambolic. The police are talking to some sections of the media but not to the cricket boards, the whole testing procedure was not done according to the standards that normally apply in sport and Wayne would be able to contest any action we take with absolute ease,” Faul said.

Parnell, who has always claimed his innocence and said he was “in the wrong place at the wrong time”, has allegedly tested positive for marijuana and will more than likely base his defence on the passive smoking principle i.e. other people at the party were smoking marijuana and he breathed some in just by being in the same room.

Parnell celebrates his 23rd birthday on Monday and the news that CSA are unlikely to take any action against him will be a great present ahead of a crucial summer for the left-arm paceman.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120730/Parnell_unlikely_to_be_in_any_trouble

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.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Thursday admitted that they have misread the mood in the country and will definitely return Test cricket to its traditional place in the period between Christmas and New Year.

CSA announced their summer fixture list this week and there will be no test between Christmas and New Year, traditionally known as the “Boxing Day Test” starting on December 26. Since readmission in 1992, South Africa have always played a Boxing Day test, except on the five occasions that they were touring Australia.

The 2012 Boxing Day Test has been replaced by a T20 international against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth, leading to an outcry amongst cricket fans in South Africa.

“We’ve clearly noted the concerns and it was heartwarming to see such a passion for Test cricket being expressed. It shows that there is still a great following for Test cricket and that’s something we must not just take for granted. We made a mistake in not explaining the reasons for the move better,” CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul told Reuters in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Faul said the absence of a Boxing Day Test in 2012 was a one-off.

“We’re going to have to take Test cricket more seriously and I can see the Boxing Day Test definitely being played again soon,” he said.

“The reasons for the move were several. Obviously crowds have been disappointing, but it’s not just about numbers. Our playing record then is poor, plus the players have not been at home for Christmas for a long time and it’s important to keep them fresh and motivated.”

South Africa have lost their last four home Boxing Day Tests – against Sri Lanka, India, England and Australia.

Faul admitted that the host broadcasters, SuperSport, had also expressed concerns over having just one day of live cricket during the prime period between Christmas and New Year.

“It’s a period of year when content is very important for the broadcasters and they did raise concerns,” Faul said.

The acting CEO was, however, delighted to announce a massive new sponsorship deal for CSA, with financial services group Momentum signing a six-year deal that covers all 50-over cricket – both one-day internationals and domestically.

The deal is believed to have netted CSA in the region of R200 million [$124.2 million] and is a huge vote of confidence in an organisation that has spent the last two years fighting a scandal over irregular bonuses paid to chief executive Gerald Majola and other allegations of bad corporate governance.

Majola has been suspended and is currently involved in a disciplinary hearing and could face criminal charges as well.

“It is a sign of confidence that we’ve made progress. Six years is a very long time and there’s no denying there were concerns over the bonus saga and Momentum obviously had their good name to consider,” Faull said.

Nicolaas Kruger, the CEO of MMI Holdings, Momentum’s parent company, said they were confident the bonus scandal was a thing of the past.

“In terms of CSA’s corporate governance, we are very comfortable with the significant progress that has been made with the recommendations of the Nicholson Inquiry being implemented and sports minister Fikile Mbalula getting involved to get the right governance structures in place,” Kruger said.

“But the deal represents a great business opportunity for us to expand our exposure. Cricket has a growing and diverse fan base of over 10 million South Africans and the benefits far outweigh the potential risks.”

The deal includes contractual assurances that CSA will complete the restructuring recommended by Judge Chris Nicholson, who was appointed by Mbalula late last year.