BECOME A PATRON

By Khalid Mohidin

A very special announcement that I believe will change the face of the way cricket is supported in South Africa.

Hey, guys! Welcome to Cricket Fanatics Magazine. I would like to welcome you to the first and only fan-driven Cricket publication in South Africa.

I started this venture on 1 July 2019 with a vision to get fans from all walks of life engaged with the game and the personalities in cricket.

We want to tell the untold stories of South African cricket and we want fans to be heard.

Since we started, we covered the Mzansi Super League, Women’s Super League, Proteas Men and Women International Test, ODI and T20I series, as well as school and club cricket, with the aim of providing entertaining, engaging and educational content.

But hasn’t stopped there.

We started a Monthly Magazine where we provide multi-media content, including exclusive features, opinion pieces and analysis.

This works hand-in-hand with our YouTube channel where we produce unique cricket shows that allow fans to call in and have their say. 

We have the Daily Show, which reveals all the major talking points in South African cricket.The Sunday Podcast Show where we sit back, relax and engage with the live chat, answering all the questions fans have about us and the game.

We have Off-Side Maidens, the first ever All-Women’s Cricket Show on YouTube, which helps empower women in cricket and gives them a place to share their own views on not only women’s cricket but all cricket.

We have a Legends show, where we interview all legends in cricket.

To produce all of this, we’ve invested a lot of money, time and effort to bring this to you for free.

But to keep this going we need your help. So we have opened a Patreon account.

Today, we are fortunate that technology has enabled anyone to become a patron of creative work, even if they are not a billionaire.

We have therefore launched a campaign for you as a Cricket Fan to become a patron and support us as an independent, bootstrapped publisher.

As a Patron, you also get your voice heard as a Fan.

Plus: You have the opportunity to become more engaged with the content we produce.

Every month we produce at least:

• 60 Website Articles
• 20 Daily Video Shows
• 4 Weekly Podcasts
• Match Previews
• Match Reviews
• Video Interviews
• And more…

So please join our Patreon today.

The "Scientist" That Can Be The Answer To SA Cricket

By Obakeng Meletse

History was made on the 28th of August 2012 when South Africa became the first team to top all three formats of the game. While ICC silverware remained absent - the collection of trophies accumulated during the team’s dominance over bilateral opposition was cause for some - albeit muted- celebration by the team and the public.

The Test side was formidable. They were the team to beat between 2007 and 2014 and the Test mace was the closest thing the team had to a world title. In comparison to the limited-overs teams they have been more consistent in the longer format and the launch of the ICC Test Championship might just be the best chance to break the duck.

The first edition of the ICC World Test Championship recently concluded and New Zealand was crowned champions after defeating India by 8 wickets. The victory was fitting and this time New Zealand managed to clear the final hurdle which had caused a late stumble so many times before.

The biggest winner on the day however was Test cricket and its survival moving forward.

The popularity of Test cricket has always been threatened to varying degrees by the limited overs forms of the game. Whether it be the 50-over format or, in recent years, the advent of T20 cricket - the unique selling points of the shorter formats have proven popular among fans and players alike.

Fans tend to gravitate towards T20 cricket because of its fast-paced nature and power-hitting while players enjoy the allure of the potential financial gain. In the case of 50-over cricket meanwhile, the promise of a result by day’s end is among its greatest appeals.

The launch of the WTC came at the right time as it is key to the growth and survival of the game and giving all the Test-playing nations another chance at winning a world title.

The Proteas were in a period of transition and found themselves outside of the top 5 for most of the campaign. Their all-round game left a lot to be desired and the relatively young team had it all to do.

With a new captain came a new era and a new generation while the loss of experienced players to retirement meant an opportunity for new talent.

It hasn’t been easy for youngsters to step up to Test cricket during the Boucher era, but there has been enough to get excited about when observing Wiaan Mulder's rise.

Cricket Fanatics Magazine caught up with the all-rounder who is now considered by many to be the leading all-rounder in the Test team.

“It’s quite a surprise that I’m seen as the number one all-rounder [by the fans]. I feel like in Test cricket I haven’t stamped my authority. I’ve bowled well especially when the team needed it most and I’m happy about that but I don’t think I’ve delivered with the bat yet. I’ve got in nicely and faced a lot of balls. In Test cricket, you don’t get a lot of balls to score off, but I have improved a lot since my debut.’’

Finding the Balance

Post readmission South Africa more than other Test-playing nations have been blessed with arguably the best all-rounder to have ever played the game in Jacques Kallis. The balance that he had with bat and ball separated him from most all-rounders.

Viewed more as a batsman than a bowler, Kallis still had 292 Test wickets at the end of his career. Consistency and balance were key to his success.

‘’I still think I’m a batting all-rounder," said Mulder. "I don’t think I’ve got something special like Shaun Pollock and Vernon Philander who were incredible bowlers and they had a little bit more skill and had more responsibility with the ball.

"My responsibility with the ball is very simple at this stage and it’s to dry up runs and keep it simple by bowling to simple fields and if I get a wicket in the process it’s a bit of a bonus.

“At this stage, and with my role in the team, it makes it easier to succeed as a bowler. I’m still learning a lot about my batting, I get myself out a lot and at this level, you can’t keep on giving the opposition an opportunity or an edge. It’s incredibly frustrating, but in Test cricket, you have to compete for every single ball.

"At this stage in my career, I’m still trying to figure things out and try to be more consistent but with time the batting will come and hopefully takes me back to age group cricket where I used to bat more than I bowled.

"For now, if I have to bowl to keep my place in the team then that is what I’ll do but hopefully I’ll put my hand up with the bat soon.’’

Handling the pressure

‘’It was quite a big jump mentally, the pressure is a lot more in international cricket and it’s something that got the better of me and I struggled with it in the beginning. I’m quite an anxious person by nature and in the beginning, it was mostly adrenalin. I didn’t handle it as well and a lot of my batting failures came from something silly happening.

"The biggest jump as a young guy from school cricket to franchise cricket, to international cricket, is the pressure and expectation to deliver all the time. If you don't deliver, you will let the team down massively, because small moments can change a session and a game quickly.

"Our domestic cricket in terms of the standard is pretty decent and it helped that we had the likes of Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram playing our domestic 4-day competition. The standard was good and with the step up, the hardest thing is the mental side of the game and also dealing with failure and success.

"With more exposure to these kinds of players and the Mzansi Super League – with all the international stars – can help close the gap.’’

Fresh off a 3-2 T20 series win away against the West Indies, Mulder got a run in the last game and finished with figures of 2/31(4) and was seen taking a few tips from Dwayne Bravo.

‘’I had the privilege to play against the West Indies and to learn from someone like Dwayne Bravo – how he bowls; Kieron Pollard – how he sets up an innings; watching Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer who is, by the way, becoming a really good player and people like Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi - how they handle pressure.’’

The art of hunting and the science behind it

Of course not every all-rounder coming through the system will be a Jacques Kallis or a Vernon Philander and it’s important to embrace every player for the skills they possess.

For the younger guys coming in the team and learning the international ropes, they will need a lot of support from the already senior members of the team to help them fully fulfil their potential.

Injuries and form play a huge role in the growth and career longevity.

‘’When I was a young guy I never used to be a scientist but after you get injured you always try to find a way not to get injured again, so it became a lot of science instead of just rocking up and playing and competing for every ball. So that kind of filtered into my mental game.

"My teammates hate that I’m such a big scientist and that I over analyse a lot of situations and it can be my downfall. The advice they gave me was to compete and trust my instincts because when you’re facing someone like Mitchell Starc, Shaheen Afridi or Jason Holder all the science falls away and the situation at hand takes over,‘’ continued Mulder.

Mulder made his first-class debut for the Highveld Lions when he was still in school and took seven wickets on debut. At the age of 18, he made his international debut in the One Day International series against Bangladesh.

In February 2019 he made his Test debut against Sri Lanka. His development from school to international cricket was fast-tracked by his brilliance and promise.

The restructure will see a lot of changes and a lot of young players will be losing their contracts due to the two divisions. Club cricket stands to benefit as those players will have to fall back into their clubs.

The Khaya Majola week has been a great feeder of talent but there is nothing else after that to feed the system in terms of red-ball cricket.  

Some provinces are even looking into moving away from the red ball competitions they have and are rather putting more infrastructure in place for the white-ball game.

‘’There has to be a feeding system and as a young guy, I would always encourage you to play club cricket as soon as you can. I started playing at the age of 14. I got the opportunity to play in the Dobsonville Premier League and Soweto Premier League and that’s where I learned so much playing against people who played for years.

"If I had a son I would get him to play club cricket as much as he can, even if it’s only One Day cricket.

"You still have to have the same principles as you would have for 4-day cricket, you still have to have a solid defence, you still have to be able to put away a bad ball. It’s just about teaching the discipline of not getting out.

‘’We are going to lose a lot of cricketers because of the restructure, as good as I think it’s going to be, you always have to find a way to look after the grassroots as those are the people who will fill up your boots once others are finished.’

‘’You have to love cricket to play cricket. The two divisions will give a lot of opportunities, I don’t think it will be too long before they have another second-tier side like Western Province had a B side, I think it will be there but how soon we don’t know. But at this stage if I was in grade 9 or 10, looking back you must just find a way to play cricket," Mulder concluded.

Q&A: Claire Terblanche on Test Cricket

You used to do ballet and have a black belt in Judo. How did you know Cricket was your calling?

Well, ballet I did because my mom really wanted me to do it but it was a way I could get into Karate (Same hall as Ballet) but ultimately when I moved schools, I ended up being really good in Judo.

Wasn't really a choice to choose cricket, as it was more a goal to get my National colours and Black belt in Judo while still playing cricket and I achieved both of those goals.

My Sensei knew that I'd be in cricket one day, so essentially cricket has always been in my blood and nothing was going to stop me once I decided to completely follow my heart.

How did you come to be the Women’s and Girls Pipeline Head Coach?

The position became available 3 years ago, after the tragic passing of Coach Cobus Roodt who had done great things with the team over the years.

I applied, got shortlisted and had my interview and about a week later received my appointment phone call from Mr Nabeal Dien and so my journey with WP started in June 2018.

What is your motto as a coach?

Kindness... I believe that kindness can bring about growth, openness to learning and listening, increase trust between people and can help make players/coaches become better all round people - All through just being kind.

What are the top 5 songs in your playlist that hype you up?

Panic at the Disco - High Hopes
Panic at the Disco - Greatest Showman
Fall out Boy - Thanks for the Memories
Tiesto - The Business
Tiesto - Boom

Having played a Test in your International career, what is the kind of mental/physical preparation needed before a Test match? Is this different from the limited formats?

Yeah, I've played in one official Test but had to prepare for many... There wasn't much difference in preparing as we played Red Ball cricket at Senior Provincial level... I was an opening batter and the same characteristics are needed in a Test match as what was needed in a 50 over match - Patience, courage, tight fundamentals upfront with the new ball, knowing which line to play at and which to leave... and obviously taking responsibility to be the one to set the innings up and bat through.

Although nowadays, our ladies play a lot of White ball cricket and play a very attacking brand of cricket. There would need to be a change in how we would play the red ball game with regard to how a player would pace their innings and set themselves up because there is so much more time.

Also needing to face more red balls as it swings a lot more than the white ball, so slight adjustments in timing would be needed - Especially upfront with the new ball. I could go into so much more about this topic but let's leave it there

When did you decide to go into coaching?

I was still playing Senior Provincial and International cricket when I started with my coaching levels - Andre du Plessis saw something in me, more than just being able to play the game and he got me in to High Performance Coaching and mentored me along the way, still to this day he is around helping me and encouraging me.

8. What is the importance of the KFC Mini-Cricket festivals for involvement and development of young girls and boys getting into the game?

The KFC program is so very important as it doesn't only introduce the game to younger players but also gets coaches involved at junior school level, across the country.

The mass participation and fun of the KFC program has become so evident and exposes kids and adults alike to the beautiful game of cricket. Whilst learning how to be in a team and share in both wins and losses as a team - this way we teach growth and rules of the sport and in learn valuable life skills.

Were it not for cricket, which other career(s) would you have pursued?

So, I would've either gone in to teaching (Cos I'd still be able to coach) or Dietetics, where I'd still be working and dealing with people

Favourite Cricket player? Female & male

Jonty Rhodes - Male
Sophia Dunkley - Female (Stayed unbiased on this one )

Who motivates you most?

My Grandad was my biggest motivator, my biggest supporter - when he passed on, my whole family stepped in and I find the support of my family my greatest motivator.

Take us through a typical day as the Pipeline Head coach
This is my typical day in the off-season... During season gets a lot busier as can be expected

06h00: Wake up for gym
06h30 - 07h30: Gym
08h00 - Breakfast etc
09h00: Pick up player for a morning skills session

10h00 - 12h30: Group Session with HP players

13h00 - 15h00: Admin work completed, have lunch at my desk.

15h30 - 16h30: Light weight training before team gym session (Monday and Wednesdays)

17h00 - 19h00: WP Womens Team gym and SAQ sessions (Monday and Wednesday).

19h15 - Leave to head home.

Manchester United or Liverpool?

Glory Glory Man United!!!

What are your thoughts on the importance of the development of players at grassroots level?

It is extremely important, for me, it is the most important area of our pipeline. We need to develop more quality coaches that would like to stay developing players at grassroots and not have a need or want to move to higher ranks, right away.

In this way, we develop our players and our coaches with solid foundations, thereby creating a turnaround of both quality players and coaches as people move up to the next level over time. I know it's easier said than done but it'll be fantastic for the growth of our game as the development of fundamentals will have been tightly instilled and that's a great start.

What do you do to relax?

Netflix Series, Watch Cricket (Women's and Men's), Hike, Build Lego, go fishing when I can and play some golf if I have partners

As a coach in the domestic structure, what is your opinion on the importance of preparing players sufficiently for Test format in both the men’s and women’s game?

The men's structure already allows for the red ball game to be practiced and played. At National Weeks, the boys have time cricket, which later evolved into 3 day cricket in the Senior Mens space and 4 day in the Franchise space (That's how the Senior space used to work). Mens club cricket also used to have 2 day cricket at the amateur level.

Women do not play enough test matches and the systems have been adapted to allow for more white ball cricket to take place but only at Senior Women's level. Clubs and National weeks still get played with a red ball but no multi-day format.

If we have anything to go by the recent Test match - Eng vs India - Test cricket has definitely had an awakening in the women's space and the players want to play the format, to me it's still the purest form of the game and really tests players overall skillsets.

How important is the team dynamic?

Very important, a team without a positive dynamic that everyone agrees on and works towards can become a toxic space. It's about trust in each other that creates a safe dynamic and space - which goes back to my philosophy of kindness.

17. The CSA pipeline focuses on talent identification. What would you do in a situation where a player is 100% committed to training and development, is punctual and focused, works hard to achieve results, but lacks the sought-after talent?

Keep working with that player, keep being honest with the player about where they are along their game/path. We don't dictate opportunities but we can prepare the player as best we can, to be ready for when an opportunity arises. Talent isn't always what nudges players ahead, it's what you do with the talent that you have that can create the opportunity for you.