In the last few months, we have seen more drama unfold in the Cricketing arena than what’s ordinarily displayed in the Real Housewives of Johannesburg, writes Ravi “The Heavy Roller” Reddy.

From world-renowned journalists having their access rights evoked to CSA board members “jumping ship”, Cricket SA has been closely associated with a visiting circus as opposed to a leading sports institution.

Yes, Cricket South Africa is a mere shadow of itself, a barren husk of what used to be a formidable institution in the World of Cricket.

With less than 2 weeks until the England Cricket team arrives on our shores we still don’t have the following in place:

• Our inaugural Director of Cricket
• Our new Convenor of Selectors

What is most astonishing about the missing appointments is that Graeme Smith was not only the front-runner but was rather an “appointment in waiting.”

Having recently gone through a poorly administered recruitment process myself, I sympathize with Graeme Smith. As a family man, there is nothing worse than entering a position or engaging with a prospective employer where there happens to be “mass uncertainty”.

In addition to this botched recruitment process, there was the matter of the Convenor of Selectors (a de facto chairman of the selection committee for all players in SA).

This is quite a critical role and will have as much of an impact as the Team Director, Physio and the remainder of the coaching staff will have on the outcome of the series against England.

To add further dismay, two major resignations from the board recently occurred. Professor Shirley Zinn, an HR powerhouse in the Insurance arena, tendered her resignation on Tuesday.

This was closely followed by the resignation of Chartered Accountant and Independent Director, Mohammed Iqbal Khan. Khan cited “widespread credit card abuse”.

At the centre of all the drama is the CEO of Cricket South Africa, Thabang Moroe. Multiple individuals and corporates have expressed their dismay with the conduct of CSA, particularly under Moroe’s leadership.

The “Willowtown group” are responsible for manufacturing Sunfoil products sent a lengthy letter to the CSA board citing the following penetrable concerns and demands:

  • The revoking of media accreditations of well-respected cricket writers
  • The breakdown between Cricket South Africa and SACA (South African Cricketers Association)
  • The suspension of the three senior Cricket South Africa employees
  • The mishandling of the Director of Cricket issue
  • Bringing Cricket South Africa into disrepute
  • Poor corporate governance by Cricket South Africa
  • The poor handling of the WPCA (Western Province Cricket Association) matter
  • The restructuring of the domestic competitions
  • Failure to appoint a lead independent director to the board
  • The concentration of power given to the CEO to make key appointments and decisions

Funnily enough, Willowtown weren’t the only corporate giants to “cook the goose”.

Standard Bank, another sponsor of the Proteas, also expressed their concerns. This resulted in their CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Thulani Sibeko urgently requesting an impromptu meeting with the CSA board in an effort to express their dissatisfaction with their recent conduct.

These recent events have ignited public demonstrations and discussion forums. On December 5th 2019 at 7 pm, the Wanderers Long Room hosted an event, inviting all Cricket lovers, former players, umpires and professionals alike to attend a public forum.

One of the predominant items that were discussed was the removal of Thabang Moroe as the CEO of Cricket South Africa. The attending group also felt that the remainder of the board Christopher Nenzani, Beresford Williams and Angelo Carolissen (to name a few) are also to blame for the many failures experienced in the realm of cricket, namely team selection, commercial progress and diminished governance.

The old guard (leadership and former players) have also chipped in with the likes of Pat Symcox, Haroon Lorgat and Dr Ali Bacher expressing their dissatisfaction of CSA to the core.

CSA as a result suspended Monroe on Friday.

The chips are clearly down at the moment for Cricket South Africa and its fans.

However, there is indeed light at the end of the tunnel!

For starters, Graeme Smith has resumed the discussion with regards to the Director of Cricket Role for Cricket South Africa.

In likelihood, the board will undergo fundamental changes and issues of “no confidence” will continue to surface.

This will definitely serve as a catalyst in a shift of power and leadership to a more competent CEO and board for Cricket South Africa.

There is no better time to be a sports lover in South Africa, and while many politicians consider this as an advent for “fake unity”, it will certainly take a union and public activism to enact a fundamental change in Cricket South Africa. Sound off your comments below.

Yours in Peace, love and cricket

Follow Ravi “The Heavy Roller” Reddy on Twitter.

Disclaimer: Cricket Fanatics Magazine encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views from fans. The views of this article published on cricketfanaticsmag.com are therefore the writer’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Cricket Fanatics Magazine team.

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