Peterson appointment brightens dark day

With many products of South African cricket taking their first ticket outta here, it will ease minds that Peterson has chosen to stay.

TELFORD VICE in Cape Town

THE best news South African cricket has had since Faf du Plessis lost the toss in Visakhapatnam three weeks ago broke in the Eastern Cape on Tuesday.

Robin Peterson, a son of that storied soil, has been named interim coach of the Warriors’ men’s team.

And as Eric Simons’ assistant with the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in the Mzansi Super League. 

That should help take the edge off the awful truth cricketminded South Africans woke up to on Tuesday: the innings defeat Du Plessis’ team suffered against India in the third men’s Test in Ranchi sealed the worst performance by South Africa since readmission.

It’s not that they lost the series 3-0, it’s that they went down by in innings in consecutive matches for the first time since 1936.

Former South Africa left-arm spinner Peterson, 40, is as Eastern Cape at it gets, having been born in Port Elizabeth, attended Alexander Road High, and played for Eastern Province and the Warriors.

What with many products of the game in this country taking their first ticket outta here — Peterson fills the vacancy left by Rivash Gobind, who is off the Afghanistan as Lance Klusener’s assistant — it will ease minds that Peterson has chosen to stay.

“It’s especially a privilege being a PE boy and having spent the best part of my career playing for the Warriors and now getting the opportunity to help develop and guide the team,” a Warriors release quoted Peterson as saying. 

“This is a huge thrill. They have the right mix of youth, experience and talent to do something special as a collective and push for silverware.”

That last happened in 2017-18, when the Eastern Capers shared the One-Day Cup with the Dolphins.

Peterson, 40, who played 14 Tests and 77 one-day internationals, would seem ably equipped to add to the trophy cabinet.

He has been a technical consultant with South Africa’s under-19 men’s team in 2017, and has worked with the national academy and South Africa A.

Peterson has coached the Barbados Tridents and the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League for the past two years, as well as the Northern Warriors in the inaugural T10 League in the United Arab Emirates last year.

He has been an assistant coach with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

“All this experience within the field of coaching at the professional level makes Peterson a highly suitable selection to lead the Warriors during this new season,” the release quoted Cricket Eastern Cape chief executive Mark Williams as saying.

Peterson will be back in a Warriors tracksuit on Monday for a four-day match against the Cobras at Newlands.

So far this season the Warriors have lost to the Knights and beaten the Lions.

First published by TMG Digital.

Where are the Warriors?

Eastern Capers prize a glass. Whether it is half-full or half-empty doesn’t bear thinking about.

Sunday Times

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TELFORD VICE in Cape Town

YOU can take cricket out of the Eastern Cape, but you can’t take the Eastern Cape out of cricket. It is the heartland of the game in this country, regardless of race, colour, creed or anything else.

It’s been 128 years since the first test in South Africa was played at St George’s Park. The president of Cricket South Africa, Chris Nenzani, is a Bhisho history teacher. The national team’s coach, Ottis Gibson, came from Barbados to play for Border in 1992.

Almost a third of the players — 29 of 97 — who have earned test caps since re-admission have strong ties to the Eastern Cape.

But in South Africa’s current squads, in all formats, only one franchise is unrepresented: the Warriors.

“There are certainly Warriors cricketers good enough to be in the national team,” said Piet Botha, who played for Border and coached the Warriors and is now in charge of Eastern Province.

“Jon-Jon [Smuts, who played six T20 internationals between January and June] deserved his call-up and it was quite surprising he got left out, especially after Faf [du Plessis] was injured.

“Simon Harmer took a Kolpak deal and if Colin Ackermann didn’t go that route he would certainly have been good enough to play at the next level. Andrew Birch has come close and played for South Africa A and Colin Ingram is a world class talent.

“Maybe the type of skill they have wasn’t required. Sometimes these things are all about timing; who retires or who gets injured.”

Botha is a transplant from up north — he played for Transvaal’s senior and B teams before moving to East London in 1992 — but he has acquired the Eastern Caper’s acceptance at simply having a glass. Whether it is half-full or half-empty doesn’t bear thinking about.

So the fact that the Warriors are not represented at national level is simply that: a fact.

Was it a worry for Warriors chief executive Mark Williams?

“No,” Williams said. “The infrastructure that should identify talent is there.

“I’m convinced it’s going to happen and there are a few knocking on the door. Another a season or two and some of those players will be serious contenders.”

That’s if they’re still around. The impoverished Eastern Cape has been exporting skills to all parts for centuries.

“Producing players for the Proteas is important for us; we know we’re a factory,” Williams said. “But sometimes it’s better for them to move from an economical perspective.

“We just want to make sure we compete well, and the fact that we ended up in two finals last season is some indication that the player stock out there is pretty good.”

That the Warriors reached both white-ball finals a summer ago was impressive considering they haven’t had a title sponsor for three years.

But the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality puts R6-million a year into the coffers, and there could be news on that horizon.

“We’re pretty choosy about who gets involved,” Williams said. “The last thing I want is to get somebody on board for two years and we have to start the process again.

“We’re looking for a long-term sponsor and we are talking to a few; there is interest.”

There will always be interest in cricket in the Eastern Cape. But will there always be players?

Maketa a tough act to follow

TMG Digital

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TELFORD VICE in Cape Town

MARK Williams has known for a while what was confirmed on Thursday when Malibongwe Maketa was named South Africa’s assistant coach.

That’s only fair on Williams, who as the Warriors’ chief executive has the challenge of replacing a figure who has become central to the success of a franchise that is as rich in gees and commitment as they are poor in big name players.

“The coach has had a lot to with the backbone of the side and the infrastructure behind him has been solid,” Williams said on Friday.

Maketa took over the Eastern Cape side in February 2015, and guided them to the finals of both white-ball tournaments last season.

And the only Warriors player to have cracked the nod with the national selectors in that time to date has been Jon-Jon Smuts, who played six T20 internationals between January and June.

“In the past two seasons we’ve had a robust and meticulous way of developing the team and the way we want the team to play,” Williams said.

“It would help if we have one or two [players] coming through earlier than we would expect, but I’m comfortable with the base we’ve created.

“Our coach has been honoured with the [national] assistant coach’s position but he leaves a good squad and it’s now for me to wrestle with that.”

Williams and the Warriors don’t have to bid Maketa farewell just yet: he will keep the reins until the end of this season’s T20 competition, which concludes on December 16.

Maketa will be able to ease into his new job as his first engagement will be a four-day match against Zimbabwe starting on December 26.

That’s as easy as it gets at international level, and it won’t hurt that the game will be played at St George’s Park, one of the Warriors’ home grounds.

Williams would not be drawn on who might inherit the Warriors tracksuit from Maketa, but Piet Botha — his predecessor and currently the coach of the Eastern province team — declined to rule himself out.

“That’s to be discussed behind closed doors,” Botha said.

Whoever lands the job will have a tough act to follow, not only in following a quality coach but in working out how to win with limited resources.