While the Covid-19 pandemic has occurred during the off-season, Cricket South Africa must formulate a plan to get our domestic game up and running immediately, writes Alasdair Fraser.
The amount of mud-slinging going on in South Africa’s cricketing trenches has filled the column inches during one of the most unprecedented off-seasons in recent memory. We’ve had no cricket, but the battle has raged over social media and, in the boardroom, with plenty of bouncers flying around.
CSA needs to consolidate all their resources to get our domestic game going in at least the Four-Day and T20 format. Players have bills to pay and will not want to lose out on a season they will never get back. Of course, it’s up to the South African government now to be proactive and transparent in their decision-making process.
There is no T20 World Cup in Australia later this year and with the World Cup provisionally still being honoured in India next year, our national set-up needs to be properly prepared.
That’s where our domestic competitions are vital in getting players up to speed. The rookies will feel it’s fair game now and we saw a number of youngsters putting their hands up during the white-ball cricket dished up against England and Australia last February and March.
CSA needs to think laterally in determining a domestic level of cricket required to ensure cricketing excellence in the Proteas set-up. The months are flying by and the time needed to prepare for the 2021 T20 World Cup is diminishing by the day. We need a plan and sport on TV is crying out for local action.
The PSL is back and SA Rugby are busy planning for rugby to resume. What has CSA got on the table?
The pandemic has limited travel and going local is the only way. Here are a few ideas that may come to fruition:
A mini triangular series on the highveld involving the Proteas, SA A and Junior Proteas is a step in the right direction.
The public could get involved by whatsapping or SMSing their votes to fill all three teams. Almost along the same lines as a Fantasy Team pick. Each team plays each other three times over a long weekend, with the final happening a few days later.
Come December, a revised MSL competition takes place with an extra team added to the mix. This extra side could include fringe players and several Junior Proteas captained by a senior Protea.
What could be a public relations masterstroke is a North vs South festival of cricket with a mixed Proteas men’s and women’s team playing each other in a double innings T20 match at Newlands. Time to think out of the box here and it would be a historic occasion.
The Four-Day format needs to remain in place, but CSA could add another composite starting XI. During the heydays of the legendary Benson & Hedges Night Series, a team called the Impalas were added to the mix. They comprised of younger fringe players slowly making their way into the domestic scene. The likes of Allan Donald played for that side and perhaps this is a good starting point to uncover the next gem in the longer format.
Sponsors, stakeholders and broadcasters desperately need live local cricket back and we’ve been lucky that the pandemic occurred in the winter. The appetite from the fans is massive. Why must we watch the battles in the boardroom through a glass window? We just want our cricket back, please.
The sooner the better because the Proteas were in a crucial rebuilding phase last summer and we cannot afford to regress as we return to a brave new cricketing world in 2021.
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