Cricket South Africa in major organisational shake up before England tour
South Africa’s preparations before England’s tour there have been inordinately chaotic.
At the beginning of December the country’s governing body, Cricket South Africa took the extreme step of suspending its chief executive, Thabang Moroe, following allegations of serious misconduct and in advance of further investigations. Of the suspensions, CSA issued the following statement:
“During the course of Mr Thabang Moroe’s precautionary suspension, a forensic audit of critical aspects of the business and the conduct of management related to such aspects shall be conducted by an independent forensic team.”
The response from the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) was swift and blunt. Ali Bacher, administrator and former South African Test captain leading calls for Thabang and the entirety of the board to resign. Batcher said the situation effectively made South Africa the, “joke of world cricket”.
Storm clouds hanging over South African cricket
There has been talk of players going on strike during the tour with disputes over commercial rights and ex-chief administrator of SACA, Tony Irish was at pains to explain the player’s situation in light of the turmoil above them describing the management of the last years as placing South African cricket in a “disastrous position”.
He went on to say:
“SACA reiterates, however, that industrial action by the players should be viewed only as a very last resort.”
“We are very aware of the importance of this series to the Proteas and to England, to the many fans from both countries and to the media and commercial partners,” Irish said, before calling for a more transparent structure as they take on “one of the best teams in the world”.
“We know the players will give 110% for South Africa on the field but it is critical that a proper professional structure is in place around the team,
“The way in which CSA has dealt with this to date, and the fact that nothing is in place, is totally unacceptable. It is ludicrous to expect players to be selected by unknown selectors.”
And the Proteas’ problems were compounded by the bad news that men’s team sponsor, Standard Banking Group Ltd. announced it would not renew its deal. This is the largest and most damning of a spate of sponsor pull-outs. In a statement put out by the bank on the announcement of the end of their relationship with CSA a spokesperson said:
“Standard Bank is committed to upholding the highest levels of leadership, integrity and governance,” it said in a statement. “In light of recent developments at CSA, which are a culmination of long-standing problems which have damaged Standard Bank’s reputation, it has decided not to renew its partnership with CSA.”
And as if that wasn’t enough disarray for the organisation, CSA have also found themselves in hot water over the blacklisting of five journalists perceived as being critical of the organisation. A media backlash prompted a swift u-turn on that decision, however.
This swirl of controversy, mismanagement and potential corruption all made worse when cast in the shadow of South African glory at the Rugby World Cup this year as opposed to the cricket team’s poor showing in their own ICC World Cup in the summer.
A race to rebuild confidence and values in South African cricket
Following the suspension of Thabang, Dr Jaques Faul took over as interim chief executive and immediately sought to bring some familiar faces back into the fold in a bid to shore up the damage and benefit from the solid reputation of those he brought in. Ex-captain and legend of the game, Graeme Smith has been appointed as acting director of cricket for a three month period before leaving to take up a commentary role for the upcoming Indian Premier League. While reticent to get tarred with the chaotic reputation South African cricket currently has, Smith, a long-time servant of the Proteus’ best interests, couldn’t walk away from the responsibility in their time of need.
“I’m still as passionate about South African cricket as I ever was,” said Smith.
“I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the role. I’ve publicly stated a number of times that I would love to assist CSA in this difficult time, particularly in developing this new role of director of cricket.”
Smith made his South Africa debut in 2002 and succeeded Shaun Pollock as captain the following year, becoming the Proteas’ youngest ever skipper at the age of 22.
He went on to play in 177 Test matches, 197 one-day internationals and 33 Twenty20 internationals before retiring in 2014.
Dr Faul, who worked hard to allay the anxiety Smith had about taking up the role said of the new appointee:
“Graeme has had his concerns during the course of the last few months. But I am pleased to say that we have overcome those concerns and I look forward to working with him to urgently address pressing cricketing matters in particular.
“To have him on board to work with the professional cricket arm of CSA, as well as the cricketing pipeline, which is so vital for our game, is a massive shot in the arm for CSA during this period.”
Smith’s first major decision was to bring in former Test wicketkeeper, Mark Boucher as head coach on a new four-year deal. Enoch Nkwe had been in interim charge following the release of Otis Gibson in August. Nkwe will continue as assistant coach to the newly appointed Boucher.
Graham Smith, a former teammate of Boucher was confident his character was what was called for in these turbulent times:
“I feel Mark will bring the toughness to turn an inexperienced squad into a battle-ready outfit,”
“With his experience of a long career as an international cricketer, he has first-hand experience of what it takes to succeed in the Test arena,” Smith added.
He was also quick to point out Nkwe’s change of role was not a sign he was on his way out, but more an appraisal that he needed more time to grow into the role, especially amid such unrest:
“I have the highest regard for Enoch as well and I want to create a clear path for him to grow into a top international coach.
“At the same time there is a clear need to maintain continuity and stability in the Proteas management team.”
Smith’s other announcement was to confirm the captaincy of Faf du Plessis ahead of the England tour which starts on 26th December at Centurion, Pretoria.
The Test team need an injection of form to turn things around and to bring a smile back to Proteas fans. They have lost their last five tests in a row to Sri Lanka and India respectively. And two of those losses were by full innings.
England’s touring side will pose a stern cricketing test for Proteas
England’s tour will include 4 Test matches, three One Day Internationals and three T-20 matches. All will be a stern test for such an embattled squad.
In England selection news, Test Captain Joe Root has been dropped from the T-20 squad, but is confident of making an impact with both his bat and his tactical decision making ahead of the series.
With Malan, Roy, Buttler and Bairstow enjoying such explosive form in the shortest format of the international game, Root’s steadier accumulation was seen as surplus to requirements this time around.
Despite having featured in the team that made it to the 2016 T-20 finals, Roots has often been rested to help him manage his workload in the other formats of the game.
Root has made it clear that he is keen to play all formats of the sport at the highest level and participated in last year’s Big Bash tournament, but with just ten months to go until the T20World Cup in Australia, the Test captain probably faces an uphill challenge to regain a spot.
South African fans will hope that board room disputes get resolved quickly and that ex-players of the calibre of Smith and Boucher can bring back the glory days again but with England’s arrival, the pressure is most definitely on.{details2}
