Sourav Ganguly – Bulletproof Truth

SA players told to choose cash or country

“They mustn’t forget that Test and one-day cricket got them into the IPL, not the other way around.” – Dean Elgar

Telford Vice | Cape Town

DEAN Elgar has a message for his bowlers: Please don’t go. To the IPL from the start, that is. The tournament schedule crashes into South Africa’s home Test series against Bangladesh, and Elgar will be without most of his first-choice attack if they choose franchise over country. Or, rather, if they choose money over prestige. And choose they must: the decision is theirs.

The Bangladesh Tests are set to be played at St George’s Park and Kingsmead from March 30 to April 12. The IPL is set to run from March 26 to May 29. Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen and Anrich Nortjé all have IPL contracts — and are all prime candidates for the Test squad. Add travel time and three days of quarantine to the equation, and the South Africans could miss the first 18 days of the IPL. Add, too, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram to that list.

“Just this morning I got off a call with the respective personnel at CSA to try and give us a guideline as to whether the players will be available or not,” Elgar told an online press conference on Friday. “The outcome of that meeting is that the players need to give CSA an indication whether they’re keen to go to the IPL or if they’re keen to play for the Test side.

“It’s a tough one leaving that up to the players, but this is how we’ll see where their loyalty lies. They mustn’t forget that Test and one-day cricket got them into the IPL, not the other way around.

“That’s all I can give you now. I wish I had more, just for my own personal sanity. So I can prepare, knowing that most of my bowlers are potentially not going to be there if they choose to go the IPL route. Hopefully by next week that will be clearer for us.”

The fact that the Tests will be played on the same slow pitches where Sri Lanka became the first Asian team to win a series in the format in South Africa in February 2019 only complicated Elgar’s mission: “The venues are more suited for the opposition; I think that brings them into the game. I can’t take the field without my best side, in order to give ourselves the best chance. I need my best players.”

Even so, Elgar had empathy for those involved: “You don’t want players to miss out on a big occasion like the IPL, by no means. But I’d still like to think playing for your country is bigger than that.”

That depends how you measure size: in dollars or allegiance. The IPL pays some of South Africa’s players exponentially more than they make from the international game. For instance, Jansen will have earned around USD22,500 from the five Tests he has played so far. If he stays for the Bangladesh Tests, that’s another USD9,000. So, a total of USD31,500. His contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad is worth USD550,000. That’s more than 17 times what he has and will be paid by CSA this summer.

Elgar has proved himself a persuasive captain. His pep talk with Rabada during the Wanderers Test against India in January brought the spearhead back to his fiery best, and kept him there for the series in New Zealand that ended on Tuesday. But what could Elgar do to stop his players making what would be, for many, the obvious choice?

“I can just make them aware of their position within our set up,” Elgar said. “They all play a big role. It’s up to me to go up to each individual and point out to them that they mustn’t forget where they’ve come from as players and where we’ve come from as a group. The next few days might be busy and interesting for me.

“I owe it to our group to give them the best chance to make a decision. If it means I need to make them aware of their positions in the side, then I have to do that. Because for me it’s about the bigger picture. It’s about us playing as much Test cricket as possible. We’re already playing so little Test cricket. We can’t not have our best players around when the team is called upon to go out and perform.”

White-ball specialists Quinton de Kock and David Miller are also set to play in the IPL — which could take them out of the mix for the three ODIs South Africa will play against Bangladesh from March 18 to 23.

CSA’s hands-off approach on the IPL differs from their stance on the PSL: they refused to release contracted players for the latter, which was played in January and February, because it clashed with the national team’s fixtures. Another consideration will be CSA’s currently cosy relationship with the BCCI, not least because of the friendship between Graeme Smith and Sourav Ganguly.

Elgar’s problems are more immediate. Friday’s presser ended with him rubbing his eyes, which were no doubt exhausted in the wake of his long trip back from New Zealand, where his team fought back in epic fashion to square the series. For his next trick, he needs to plot and plan a way to keep his team intact. Good thing, perhaps, that he won’t be able to fall asleep.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Omicron ominous for India tour

The tour remains possible, but it is becoming less than probable.

Telford Vice | Cape Town

DEAR India. Please come. It’s not just about the money, although that’s important. It’s also about history, fairness, and respect. And about establishing whether we’re part of the world or locked out and looking in. Like we were before November 1991, when you let us return from the cold. So please come. Please.

That’s not Cricbuzz talking. It’s South Africa’s government, and every cricketminded South African. A release by the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on Tuesday was followed, on Wednesday, by a CSA statement on the issue, bringing to 952 the number of words spent in this cause. Doubtless there will be many more. They could all be summarised into one: desperation.

Wednesday’s CSA effort was headlined, in capital letters: “Proteas confident in CSA BSE [bio-secure environment] protocols”, and quoted the organisation’s chief medical officer, Shuaib Manjra, men’s captains Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma and board chair Lawson Naidoo, who posted Tuesday’s DIRCO statement — “South Africa welcomes Indian cricket teams” — on his social media pages. The latter’s plural is a nod to the fact that India A are here, and that their series in Bloemfontein is continuing as planned. The implication is that what’s good for Priyank Panchal’s geese is, surely, good for Virat Kohli’s ganders.

At 10.47pm (SA time) on Tuesday night, DIRCO bolstered its release with a notice on its website that read, in part: “The South African government has noted with regret the announcement by several countries to impose temporary travel restrictions on our country. It should be noted that these were unilateral decisions taken without consulting South Africa, and therefore beyond our control. The South African government will continue to do all it can to ensure that these unwarranted travel bans are lifted.”

If you think you read seething between those lines, you’re not wrong. There is outrage in South Africa that it is being punished for alerting the world to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. A variant, mind, that has since been found in several other countries, and in some cases to have been there before South Africa’s scientists raised the alarm. In this view, that Omicron wasn’t so much detected in South Africa as it was detected by South Africans is a subtle but vital distinction.

But CSA don’t have the luxury of anger. They know from the painful experience of England walking out of their tour last December and Australia’s refusal, in February, to fulfil their commitment to visit in March that venting their frustration doesn’t help. Neither is it of any use to reassure the BCCI that South Africa’s bubbles are as tight as any in the world, and tighter than many. India know, from their experience in England last year, that no bubble is unbreachable.

What matters is the Indian government’s reaction to the rise in Covid cases in South Africa from the zero that was reported on November 18 — down from 22,910 new infections on July 8 — to 4,373 on Tuesday. The fourth wave is underway in the country.

Currently travel between India and South Africa is moderately encumbered. From Wednesday all travellers bound for India will be required to inform the Delhi government of their whereabouts for the previous 14 days and test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their departure. Since Friday those coming from “at risk” countries, which include South Africa, have been tested on arrival and — in the case of Indian nationals — required to quarantine in their homes for seven days.

Technically, then, India’s tour remains possible. But indications are it is becoming less than probable. That the BCCI want the number of Tests reduced from three to two has been reported, albeit without confirmation. Also that India would rather postpone the tour, and that the selection of their squad has been put on hold. You would have to be hopelessly optimistic if you didn’t read reluctance between those lines. And all that against the pressured backdrop of the BCCI’s annual meeting on Saturday, when issues weightier — to India, though not South Africa — will be discussed. Sourav Ganguly’s primary focus must be on that.

Yet it’s difficult not to empathise with South Africa’s situation. Thanks to years of maladministration, cricket in South Africa isn’t in a sound state monetarily. But the US$105-million CSA sold the India tour rights for dwarfs the loss of US$13.5-million they declared in October for the 2020/21 financial year. The international game’s grotesquely skewed economics means all countries depend on tours by India to some extent; South Africa more than most. For the tour even to be deferred would have a significant impact on cricket’s resources and affect the game adversely at all levels for years to come.

Thirty years ago, before apartheid had been defeated but with its downfall assured, India dared open its doors to South Africa’s regrettably all-white team. That venture of three ODIs encompassed a range of firsts: never before had South Africa played against India, never had they taken on opponents who were black or brown, and never had they played an ODI.

Now South Africa are asking India to dare put their faith in systems that have passed the test, and to respect their team enough to come and play cricket against them. It’s not that simple, of course. South Africa need, desperately, this tour to happen. India need, understandably, to make the best decision in the interests of their players’ safety and wellbeing. The choice is theirs.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Players ‘felt safe’ at IPL, says Graeme Smith

“You see some of those players sitting there at the IPL and not making any noise … and [you see] a version of double standards. It’s disappointing.” – Graeme Smith on players who, citing virus fears, shunned South Africa but not the IPL.

Telford Vice | Cape Town

MAYBE because he and Sourav Ganguly go back, perhaps because he knows what it feels like to have the plug pulled on an ongoing event, possibly because it’s never a bad idea to say good things about the BCCI, but Graeme Smith had empathy and approval for how India’s cricket bosses are dealing with the grim-reaping crisis that has engulfed the IPL.

“In no way would we judge,” Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, told an online press conference on Thursday. “Having spoken to the players, they felt safe. They felt the BSE [bio-secure environment] was a really good experience in India. They never felt at risk. But that’s the nature of what Covid brings.”

The IPL was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday in the wake of a slew of positive tests for coronavirus recorded inside supposedly secure bubbles. A world record for new cases of the disease in a single country on one day was registered on Tuesday, when 382,146 contracted the virus in India. Twenty-four hours later another 412,431 there had Covid-19. India is the only country besides the United States in which more than 20-million people have had the illness. Only the US and Brazil have suffered more than India’s 230,000-plus Covid deaths.

Cricket is a small part of all that, but the IPL is a huge part of cricket. So its suspension, with 31 of its scheduled 60 matches unplayed, rocked world sport. Many wondered what had taken the BCCI so long to act considering the devastation being wrought just outside the walls of stadiums and team hotels. Others were upset that one of the few rays of sunshine in these darkest of days had been snuffed out.

Smith suggested tournament organisers should not be blamed for what had gone wrong: “Sometimes you can do whatever you want but the BSE — as we’ve said to everyone — is never fullproof. When Covid is raging in your country there’s always a risk. Unfortunately once it gets inside it’s very difficult to predict what’s going to happen.”

The Indians involved in the IPL, on the field and off, will now emerge from their bubbles to countenance a society that is being assailed like no other by an invisible enemy whose work is all too visible in public spaces that, with hospitals overflowing, have been given over to the sick and the dying. The challenge is exponentially smaller for the 64 foreign players.

“The duty of care [the BCCI has] shown in getting everyone home has been exemplary,” Smith said. “From our own players’ perspective it’s been made slightly easier in that our borders aren’t closed and there’s still commercial travel available for them.” He said all of the 11 South African IPL players would be home, and isolating, by Friday.

Smith has a good idea of what Ganguly, the BCCI’s president, is going through. England abandoned their white-ball tour of South Africa in December with half the six games postponed after positive tests at the squads’ shared hotel. In February, Australia put on hold the three Tests they were to have played in South Africa in March, citing an “unacceptable” Covid risk. But Sri Lanka’s men’s team and Pakistan’s women’s and men’s sides have since visited South Africa and played 15 matches across the formats without a single positive test, and domestic competitions have been successfully staged.

“I think CSA have put on 15 or 16 BSEs this season, and I don’t think enough has been made of the success that we’ve had,” Smith said. “I think Pakistan had been in five BSEs before they arrived here. The feedback we received from them on what we were able to produce here, in comparison, was that it was probably the best. We’ve got a good grip of how handle it, how we want to do it, and how we roll it out in terms of our testing protocols, the type of hotels we’ve used, and the mindset. Our stadiums have been excellent.”

Clearly, what the English and Australians did to CSA still rankles Smith: “You see some of those players sitting there at the IPL and not making any noise. Having had experience of things here you do see some things differently, and [you see] a version of double standards. It’s disappointing.”

Even so, Smith appreciated the efforts of Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, to try and remedy the situation. And the Aussies? “We’ve had a fair few intense discussions with them,” Smith said. “We’ve made it very clear that we want to replace [the postponed series] in the current cycle. Then it becomes a scheduling issue, so it’s been a little bit back and forth on that. But I’m hoping we’re relatively close to [rescheduling].”

South Africa are due in the Caribbean in June for two Tests and five T20Is, and will go directly from there to Ireland for six white-ball games in July. They are also hopeful, pandemic permitting, of being in India in September and October, and of welcoming the Indians in December and January next year.

That’s a lot of cricket. But it could just as easily come to nothing. Little is certain in cricket — or anything else — in the time of Covid.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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South Africa look to India, England after Australia snub

“No matter what we offered them I doubt we would have been able to get them over the line.” – Graeme Smith on Australia’s no-show.

Telford Vice | Cape Town

TWO out of three ain’t bad. Especially when they’re the bigger two of the big three. So if India and England are in your corner, who cares if Australia isn’t? That’s CSA’s view, as articulated by Graeme Smith on Wednesday.

The Australians were due to play three Tests in South Africa next month but pulled out because of concerns over Covid-19 — despite CSA promising to go above and beyond what they have done to keep other teams safe during the pandemic. CSA has lodged an official complaint against CA with the ICC, but the bigger picture would seem to overshadow that scenario. Besides, the edge has been taken off that setback by engagements with India that Smith said were nearing confirmation.

“Even if we don’t win [at the ICC] — I don’t think there’s any precedent for it — the message is loud and clear,” Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, said on commentary during Wednesday’s matches in the franchise T20 tournament at Kingsmead. “It’s important that the members get together and support each other and try and find ways to get as much done as we possibly can. That added to the disappointment of Australia. Everyone [else] we’ve worked with has had that mindset and understood that. My sense is that Australia didn’t, and that’s what let us down. No matter what we offered them I doubt we would have been able to get them over the line.”

Smith said CSA’s relationships with the BCCI and the ECB were on a better footing, even in the wake of England aborting their white-ball tour to South Africa in December with half their six games unplayed. The fact that Smith and Sourav Ganguly, now the president of the BCCI, played eight Tests against each other — two of them as opposing captains — between 2004 and 2008 had strengthened the bond between the countries’ boards.

“Myself and Sourav go a long way back, and we’ve had a number of conversations,” Smith said. “India in particular have been very supportive of us. Hopefully in the next cycle we’ll have a number of tours against India that are pretty close to being finalised, actually. [ECB chief executive] Tom Harrison and the ECB have been brilliant as well. Even the way Tom handled the situation from behind the scenes [in December] with England was good. Those matches have already been rescheduled [though not announced]. There’s been a joint resolution and an understanding of that.”

Not so with the Australians. As in his playing days, Smith wasn’t willing to let them off the hook: “Australia has been the one that’s stood out in terms of difficulties. We never found the same sense of working together that we did with the other two. So there’s things that need to be improved and we’ve got to ask some hard questions of them and challenge them. That’s important for world cricket.”

Smith is also fighting on the home front. CSA was in chaos when he arrived because of years of shoddy governance by a board led by former president Chris Nenzani and ruinous management under Thabang Moroe, who has since been fired as chief executive. Acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender and company secretary Welsh Gwaza have since been suspended pending disciplinary action.

“There’ve been a number of suspensions in the leadership of CSA so the workload has certainly increased,” Smith said. “We find ourselves doing jobs we weren’t employed to do. But we’re picking up the can and trying to get CSA moving in the right direction.

“When I got involved in December I didn’t think it could get any worse, and we’ve certainly found ourselves in more challenging spaces after that. We’ve ridden quite a big wave behind the scenes. Now the objective is to push forward and take us out of the dark position we’ve been in.”

Remaining in good standing with India and England will help CSA move towards a goal that couldn’t be achieved without them. Australia? Smith didn’t say so but it was difficult not to hear it in his tone: that bridge has burnt.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Hopes fade for lucrative India T20I tour

The revenue CSA would have earned from the visit has been removed from their budgets.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

SOUTH Africa’s hopes of steadying their shaky finances with a visit by India are receding. They had planned to lure cricket’s most bankable team for a T20I series this month, but that now seems unlikely to happen — perhaps at all.

Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) coffers were in a sorry state even before the coronavirus pandemic posed an existential threat to the global economy. The board are expected to declare a small profit at their annual meeting on September 5, but losses that could mount to USD57.6-million by the end of the 2022 rights cycle continue to loom over the organisation.

So there were reasons to be cheerful when CSA acting chief executive Jacques Faul told an online press conference on May 21: “We had a teleconference with India [the previous day] and we’re encouraged by their willingness to honour the agreement to play the three T20s in August, and if that’s postponed maybe a bit later.”

That would have put a dent of USD10-million in CSA’s debt. But sources told Cricbuzz on Friday that the money, which was included in the estimation of earnings for the coming months, had been removed from the budget — a clear indication that the venture had become improbable.

A smaller player in world cricket like CSA were always going to struggle to secure the presence of the game’s biggest earners at a time when every other team will be desperate to do the same. But the bond between CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, which stretches back to their playing days, could have made all the difference.

During that May 21 presser, the deal for India’s tour would only have been sweetened by Smith punting Ganguly for the highest office in world cricket: “Leadership in our sport is going to be key, and having someone at a level who understands the modern game, understands the challenges that are going to be faced, emphasises more the people who get put into key positions. I think the president of the ICC becomes a key position. It would be great to see a cricket man like Sourav Ganguly get into the role of president of the ICC. That will be good for the game and good for the modern game. He understands it, he’s played it as the highest level, he’s respected, and his leadership will be key to us going forward. That would be a great appointment.”

Smith’s glowing endorsement of Ganguly, which seemed genuine and unrehearsed and caught his fellow suits off guard, prompted CSA president Chris Nenzani to issue a rare public statement making clear that Smith had spoken in his personal capacity.

Even so, almost three months down the line the only confirmed fixtures on India’s schedule for the rest of the year are three T20s in October and three Tests in December — all of them in Australia. That will have to change, what with the IPL running from September 19 to November 10. But it’s clear that windows are closing.

Perhaps the lesson is that it takes more than conversations between two former players to put money in the bank, even if they are figures of the stature of Smith and Ganguly.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Nenzani promises progress on probe

“Immediately we have enough [evidence] we are going to take action, and that action is going to ensure that CSA is protected. We are not running away from that. That will happen.” – Chris Nenzani on the state of the forensic investigation into CSA’s board and chief executive.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

THERE would seem to be light at the end of the long, dark tunnel that is the probe into the performance of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) board and the conduct of chief executive Thabang Moroe. The saga has been a yoke around the neck of the game since Moroe was suspended on claims of misconduct in the first week of December, hampering CSA’s ability to secure sponsors even as the public’s confidence in their ability to run cricket in the country dwindles.

And it seems the chilliness of a winter’s morning last week contributed to the narrative of one of the most damaging episodes in the already winding, potholed road cricket has walked in South Africa.

But, during an online press conference on Tuesday, CSA president Chris Nenzani said progress was in sight: “We have been promised by the investigating company that the first part of the preliminary report from the forensic investigation will be given to CSA by this Friday. I have every confidence that by the end of the month we will be able to refer the final report to the members council to decide on the way forward.”

He returned to the point several times in almost an hour in his first press conference since December 7, first saying: “The outcome of the investigation will determine the course of action we need to take. I’m hoping that by Friday part one of that report would be received, and therefore we will take the steps going forward.” Then: “The outcome of the investigation will determine the course of action we need to take. I’m hoping that by Friday part one of that report would be received, and therefore we will take the steps going forward.”

Thus warmed up like an old-fashioned Baptist preacher, Nenzani stoked the coals with the promise of imminent action: “Thabang has not appeared before a disciplinary committee. That decision will be taken when we receive the report from the forensic auditors, to quantify what could be the issue he could have to answer. He is suspended so that we have an opportunity to have enough information so that when we deal with this matter we are not doing so in a way that is half-cooked.

“Whether or not he should have resigned, that is his decision to make. Whether or not CSA is going to charge him, that is a decision that CSA has to make. And that decision will be made within the next few days; immediately we have received that report.

“Immediately we have enough we are going to take action, and that action is going to ensure that CSA is protected. We are not running away from that. That will happen.”

Hallelujah! Praise the process! What’s taking it so long?

“The forensic audit company was appointed towards the end of February and started work in March. This was not by design but because the processes that you needed to go through needed to be very elaborate and conclusive. This audit must also look into the decision-making within the board itself, therefore the members council [CSA’s highest authority, which is flawed by the fact that it includes several board members] needed to be the appointing authority in this instance. That, together with some of the matters that related to the experience of the [coronavirus pandemic] lockdown, would have delayed things quite a lot.”

Dealing with the frustration the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) expressed on the subject last week, Nenzani said: “I’m sure SACA will appreciate that you cannot be cavalier about how you address these matters, because if you do so and you rush things you’re exposing yourself to a charge of procedural unfairness. The delay is not to the benefit of CSA, our supporters, or the players that SACA represents — who are very important stakeholders within CSA, because the players there is no CSA. In the coming few weeks there will be very clear on the process going forward. We understand the unhappiness on the part of some of our stakeholders but very few people would have wanted us to flout procedures. We wanted to ensure that the process we are putting in place ticks all the boxes.”

Once all the boxes have been ticked, all reports have been received and reconciled, and all actions taken, how much of what the investigators discovered will CSA put into the public domain?

“The members council is the final owner of that report, and it will direct how that report is shared with the public. We had made a commitment that the contents of the report — not necessarily the [entire] report but the key aspects — will be made public.”

Cricketminded South Africans will now better than to expect significant official illumination on an already strange story took one of its odder twists last Thursday morning when Moroe appeared to stage a stunt at CSA’s offices in Johannesburg. Despite still being suspended — on full pay of more than USD20,000 per month, mind — he tried to report for duty. Moroe had his picture taken at the front gate, which duly appeared on social media. How much further did he get?

“The office was locked, because there’s nobody in the office because everybody’s working from home [because of Covid-19],” Nenzani said. “It was cold outside, and when I was informed he was outside wanting to come in I said he should be allowed into the building. That did not mean he was not on suspension. His suspension letter is very clear that his suspension is linked to the investigation that is ongoing.”

All good. Except that CSA’s disciplinary code says: “The purpose of suspension is exclusively to protect CSA against any damage that may be caused by the continued presence of such an employee in the workplace‚ especially in relation to the possible destruction of evidence or influencing of colleagues regarding their possible testimony at a disciplinary hearing.”

What did Moroe do during his time at CSA’s offices? “I don’t what he did but he could not get into the office,” Nenzani said. “He only had access to the perimeter of the building. He could not get inside.”

Nenzani has been inside, as CSA’s president, since February 2013. In 2019 the constitution was changed to grant him an additional year in office after his two allotted three-year terms. He should vacate his position at CSA’s annual meeting on September 5. “Looking back, I regret taking that decision,” he said of the unprecedented extension. “But it is because of how I view leadership. To me, election to an office or a position is an obligation to serve the people who elect you. Therefore, when they say, ‘Please continue’, you subject yourself to that directive.”

On that subject, the International Cricket Council will elect a new chair in July. Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, put noses out of joint on May 21 when he punted Sourav Ganguly for the position. Nenzani, sources have told Cricbuzz, is keen on the job. Is he?

“Unfortunately my answer to that question might not make you happy,” he said. “The ICC has placed a moratorium on whether people express their desire or not, because the ICC has not opened the process of nominations. For instance, next week Thursday the ICC is going to meet to discuss two things. You have the challenges created by Covid-19, so the ICC is looking at business continuity contingencies that will include some of its events in the near future. Secondly, the change of chairmanship. So the ICC needs to agree on a process. The constitution of the ICC enjoins the board of the ICC to agree on a process, and once that process has been agreed to then the board can declare that nominations will be open at a certain point. Then people will be able to say, yes I wish to stand, no I don’t wish to stand. At this point in time it would be premature for me to make any pronouncement.”

That’s a long and winding way of not saying no.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Cricket can’t go back to the future

In South Africa, an already groggy game faces the distinct possibility of going down for the count for good.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

NOT for the first time in one of the most disunited societies on earth, South Africans are not speaking with the same voice. Some are adamant that almost nine weeks of lockdown have not been enough — or stringent enough — to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Others are outraged the country hasn’t taken more steps towards normality. Sadly, as with everything here, the issue has become politicised.

Supporters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) are broadly in favour of the measures taken. The opposition, notably the Democratic Alliance (DA), want the rules relaxed. The ANC speaks largely for the majority black population. The DA is the standard-bearer for the white minority. Blacks and whites have taken to social media to attack each other in tirades fuelled by ignorance, unfairness and abuse.

Like every industry, cricket is caught in the middle of all that. Unlike almost every other industry, millions of South Africans think they own shares in the company. Heaped on top of everything else the game faces — an apparently bottomless pit of financial woe, a mounting governance crisis, a struggling men’s team, the public’s dwindling confidence in cricket’s chances of pulling itself out of its nosedive on and off the field — little wonder the mood is gloomy. “We have an existential crisis,” Andrew Breetzke, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA), said during on online press conference on Thursday. “The future of cricket is at stake. We’ve all got to work to make sure the game survives, and then prospers.”

What would South Africa’s priority be, and why?

To make some money, fast. Even before the virus changed everything we knew about the world, Cricket South Africa (CSA) were forecast to lose up to USD55.9-million by the end of the 2022 rights cycle. Now no-one can put a number on how much they won’t have in the bank in the next few years.

When could it possibly happen?

India are being courted ardently to come and play three T20Is near the end of August, which would boost CSA’s coffers to the tune of USD10-million. That would win back some of cricketminded South Africans’ belief that CSA had a clue what they were doing. With that would come renewed interest from sponsors, currently an endangered species.

What are the (other) roadblocks?

Lockdown regulations in both countries may not have been sufficiently lifted by August to enable Virat Kohli’s team to make the trip. If they come they are likely to have to spend 14 days in quarantine before the series and another 14 days afterwards, and spend all their time here in a sanitised biobubble. An attractive proposition, no? South Africa will be far from the only country trying to woo world cricket’s cash cows, so the lobbying for India’s presence will be intense. Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, did his bit in that regard at Thursday’s presser by punting BCCI president Sourav Ganguly for ICC president as hard as he used to hammer legside deliveries to the boundary.

That aside, what does the future look like?

CSA are considering scrapping what would otherwise be the first half of the season, and using the Mzansi Super League to get things going in January. That would look good on television, but the stark reality is that some of South Africa’s domestic players are already resorting to mental health counselling and emergency funds to pay their living costs, both provided by SACA. An already groggy game faces the distinct possibility of going down for the count for good. South Africa could become nothing more than a supplier of players to foreign teams and competitions, in the same way that baseball’s minor leagues exist only to produce individual players for the top level. The slightly better news is that CSA’s operational staff, led by acting chief executive Jacques Faul and Smith, seem to be determined not to allow that to happen.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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Chris Nenzani aims for infinity and beyond

Nenzani has yet to utter a single word about the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, the most serious existential crisis cricket faces worldwide. So what prompted his venture into the fray on Thursday?

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

CHRIS Nenzani seems to have been in self-isolation since long before lockdown, but Graeme Smith has managed to flush him out. On Thursday morning Smith said, boldly, unambiguously and without prompting, that he was in favour of Sourav Ganguly leading the ICC. Hours later a Cricket South Africa (CSA) release, quoting Nenzani, tried to put the toothpaste back into the tube.

“We must respect both the ICC protocol and our own protocol in deciding which candidate to back,” Nenzani, CSA’s president and board chairperson, was quoted as saying. “There have been no candidates nominated as yet and once such nominations have been made the board of CSA will take its decision in terms of its own protocol and give the chairman the mandate to exercise his vote as an ICC board director accordingly.

“We have the highest regard for the opinions of our director of cricket, Graeme Smith, who is a well-respected figure in world cricket and has already made an immense contribution in fulfilling his mandate to make our cricket teams world leaders again.

“At the moment we don’t want to anticipate any candidates who may be nominated for this important position to lead the game we all love.”

That marked only the third time this year Nenzani had engaged with the cricketminded public. He popped up again on Saturday to welcome John Mogodi to CSA’s board. Nenzani has yet to utter a single word about the ramifications of the coronavirus pandemic, the most serious existential crisis cricket faces worldwide. So what prompted his venture into the fray on Thursday?

Procedurally and factually, Nenzani is correct. It is not up to Smith to decide who CSA will support for the position of ICC chairperson, and no-one — Ganguly included — has yet put their head above the parapet to declare their interest in succeeding Shashank Manohar at the ICC’s annual conference in July. Not that Smith was trying to speak on behalf of anyone except himself when he punted Ganguly for, as he said, “president”. But those who have worked with Nenzani note that he engineers what he wants partly by listing the chapter and verse of the relevant rules and regulations.

And what Nenzani wants now, sources have told Cricbuzz, is to be ICC chairperson. That was a major part of the argument in favour of granting him an unprecedented additional year as CSA president even though he had reached his term limit. The constitution was changed to keep him in office until September this year.

Why would Nenzani want to head the ICC? Here are a few reasons, as per the organisation’s constitution: the buck stops with the chairperson to “supervise the chief executive’s performance, implementation of the ICC’s strategic plan and key initiatives and remuneration”, and to “represent the interests of the ICC publicly and establish strong relationships with members”. Then there’s this: “The chairperson acting alone shall have the power to bind the ICC in respect of matters that are properly within the purpose and objects of the ICC”. And this: “ … the chairperson shall have authority to execute any agreement under which the chief executive is appointed”. How about this: “The chairperson shall have the right to attend as an ex officio member of, but not to vote at, any meeting of any committee or sub-committee”. Not forgetting: “Meetings shall take place at such venue as shall be designated by the chairperson”. None among the chair, the chief executive nor the independent director have a vote at annual meetings, special meetings or associate members’ meetings. But: “If any dispute arises concerning the interpretation of the memorandum of association or the articles of association, or the effect of any resolution of the board of directors or members’ resolution or associate members’ resolution that has been passed, the chairperson shall decide such dispute”, although the chair’s decision can be appealled.

Nenzani’s tenure as CSA president has dragged on for more than seven years; time enough, and then some, to grow attached to the plush privileges of power and position. CSA should be rid of him after their annual meeting, which is currently scheduled for September 5. As things stand he cannot be re-elected, although the uncertainties thrown up by Covid-19 may be used as cover to buy him still more time in office. Whatever happens, as a current or former ICC board member he will remain eligible for the leadership.

But Nenzani’s bid would be the longest of long shots. As recently as three weeks ago outgoing England Cricket Board chair Colin Graves was on course to succeed Manohar, who has indicated he will not serve a third two-year term. Graves was said to have secured all but one of the eight votes he would need to be elected. But one of his supporters was, apparently, India. If Ganguly does enter the race he will do so with the BCCI’s blessing, and no doubt gain several of Graves’ current backers into the bargain. Given the stature of Graves and Ganguly, and the heft of the boards they represent, it’s difficult to see how a lightweight like Nenzani would earn the two nominations he would need to contest the election.

Ganguly’s chances would be enhanced by the virus, which has concentrated the global cricket industry’s collective mind on survival. India are key to the game’s financial fortunes. Without them world cricket and the world’s leading cricketers would make far less money. So the idea of giving the Indians what they want in the cause of the greater good is gaining traction. “We need to bring the BCCI more into the ICC, because currently they work against the ICC a lot of the time,” a seasoned administrator told Cricbuzz. All talk of bullying, brattish India who want their own way on every issue — a staple topic in any conversation with non-Indian suits — has disappeared. Cricket knows it needs India now more than ever.

That view isn’t difficult to find among CSA’s high level operational staff. Smith’s comments on Thursday, although they came as a surprise to some of his colleagues, were another way of expressing the prevailing feeling at South Africa’s headquarters — where hopes are fervent that India will tour in the coming months to play three T20Is that would pump USD10-million, or almost a fifth of CSA’s growing debts, into the coffers. Smith was promptly supported by acting chief executive Jacques Faul, who in the same breath managed, skillfully, to make clear that CSA had yet to endorse anyone for a role no-one has so far been nominated to take on.

That neither of CSA’s top operational executives thought to include Nenzani, their own president, in that conversation says plenty. As does the fact that Nenzani couldn’t bring himself to mention India or utter Ganguly’s name in essentially and needlessly repeating what Faul had said hours earlier. Considering the state of the relationship between CSA and the BCCI, which is stronger than it was five years ago but not as close as it was five years before that, nothing speaks louder than the awkward truth that the BCCI president is more popular within CSA than his CSA counterpart. But it’s not surprising, given who and what we’re dealing with. Nenzani or Ganguly? No contest.

First published by Cricbuzz.

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South Africa woos India, sends love to Sourav

“It would be great to see a cricket man like Sourav Ganguly get into the role of president of the ICC.” – Graeme Smith goes to bat for the BCCI boss.

TELFORD VICE | Cape Town

SOUTH Africa are hopeful that India will tour near the end of August to mark the resumption of cricket in the country in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The plan is for the teams to contest three T20Is behind closed doors, possibly in a sanitised accommodation, training and playing biobubble. Perhaps not coincidentally, it seems Sourav Ganguly can count on South Africa’s backing should he consider a bid for the ICC leadership.

“We had a teleconference with India [on Wednesday)] and we’re encouraged by their willingness to honour the agreement to play the three T20s in August, and if that’s postponed maybe a bit later,” Jacques Faul, Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) acting chief executive, told an online press conference on Thursday. “That’s very encouraging. We had a very good discussion with them.”

The conversation started in pre-lockdown February, when Faul and CSA’s director of cricket, Graeme Smith, travelled to India to meet with BCCI officials including Ganguly, the president. Smith and Ganguly played against each other for South Africa and India in eight Tests and five ODIs from September 2002 to April 2008. At 47 Ganguly is only eight years older than Smith. He played his last match for India in November 2008, less than six years before Smith retired. It seems a healthy respect exists between them.

Certainly, Smith didn’t shy away from going to bat for Ganguly with all the unsubtle effectiveness he would use to ruin bowlers’ figures during his playing career: “Leadership in our sport is going to be key, and having someone at a level who understands the modern game, understands the challenges that are going to be faced, emphasises more the people who get put into key positions. I think the president of the ICC becomes a key position. It would be great to see a cricket man like Sourav Ganguly get into the role of president of the ICC. That will be good for the game and good for the modern game. He understands it, he’s played it as the highest level, he’s respected, and his leadership will be key to us going forward. That would be a great appointment.”

The ICC is no longer headed by a president, but Shashank Manohar has confirmed he will not seek re-election as chair at the organisation’s annual conference in July. Smith left no doubt about his view on who should be Manohar’s successor: “Post Covid and the things that are going to come our way, to have strong leadership [will be important]. Someone like Sourav Ganguly is best positioned for that. I know him well. I’ve played against him and I’ve worked with him as an administrator and in television. He’s got the credibility and the leadership skills, and is someone who could really take the game forward. More than anything, that’s needed right now at an ICC level. We know the elections are coming up and there’s a few names in the hat but my own opinion is that it’s time someone closer to the modern game with leadership credentials got into a key position.”

Faul followed that lead: “We’ve always worked closely with India, and I think India must play a leadership role when it comes to the FTP and a responsible one. Our engagement with Sourav has been very positive. I haven’t played a lot of cricket against Sourav, so I don’t know him as well as Graeme. This is Graeme’s style — he comes out and he speaks openly, which is great. Even in administration, he comes out and farms the bowling. We’ve checked with the leadership [of CSA], if we would support an Indian candidate [for ICC] president, and at this stage we would. We don’t see any problems with supporting an Indian candidate, but we’ve got to look at who’s nominated.”

Later in the press conference, in answer to a question posed in Afrikaans, Faul elaborated: “There aren’t any candidates yet and there aren’t any nominees, but India play a big leadership role anyway. I don’t think any one country should control cricket; the countries that are strong can help other countries. There’s going to be speculation about who a suitable leader would be. It’s not as if there’s only one person who could do it. But it’s good to hear someone like Graeme Smith is of the opinion that someone like Sourav Ganguly could play this leadership role.

“We have to agree with Graeme that someone like Sourav would be a strong candidate. We can’t commit ourselves to that. We don’t even know if Sourav is available to do it. That’s Graeme’s opinion, and we respect it and agree that he could play a big role in world cricket. But we’ve seen what Graeme has done for us in several aspects. He has the respect of role players, including the media, players, officials and administrators. Considering the big contribution Graeme has made, I agree with him that someone like Sourav, if he is interested in a leadership position like this, could make an impact.”

Friday marks the end of the South Africa’s eighth week in lockdown, and although the level of the restrictions look set to eased no end to the measures is in sight. Whether regulations will have eased enough to enable India to tour in August cannot be known. But CSA have to plan as if that will happen as a precursor to staging half a season from January, starting with the Mzansi Super League. “We’re looking at a return to play, a return to train, and a return to work,” Faul said. “The scenarios we use are three months, six months and nine months. We’re too scared to go beyond that for planning purposes. There’s still a low level of predictability.

“We’re in the process of seeking an audience with the minister of arts, sport and culture to get permission, if needed, to play behind closed doors. This will relate to the possibility of the India incoming tour. We’re trying to be very innovative.”

CSA have to pull out all the stops to generate revenue, what with the South African Cricketers’ Association expecting them to lose USD55.9-million by the end of the 2022 rights cycle — a scenario sketched before the pandemic, and that can only worsen given current conditions. A tour by India would put a dent in the losses but it won’t be easy to pull off.

“The commitment is still there to get the three T20s done,” Smith said. “The goal is to keep in constant communication to see where both countries are sitting from a virus and a government regulation [perspective]. There is an element of guesswork. No-one understands what things are going to be like come the end of August. We believe we’re a socially safe and socially distant sport, and we believe we can get it done behind closed doors. We hope the world is in a better place come August.”

India’s entire touring party would, on arrival, have to spend 14 days in isolation on and another 14 days in strict seclusion before they depart. CSA’s chief medical officer, Shuaib Manjra, said it was likely they would remain in a “biobubble”, a “… sanitised cricket biosphere with strict entry standards and limited movement out …” for the duration of their visit.

But little was certain, as Manjra explained: “We probably will see peak infection in August and September, and we will probably see different peaks in different parts of the country. Nothing can be cast in stone. We’ll take our directive from government.

“Even if there is a biobubble, is there going to be international travel? I can’t see large-scale international travel coming back for the next three months, so that would be a limiting factor. Unless you get a charter flight, get them to land at a safe airport and take them straight into the biobubble.”

Manjra also had his scientific eye on the wider realities facing the game: “We’ve got to consider that our players have all had a two-month lay-off. They haven’t played cricket, they haven’t been able to train at maximum capacity. Consequently the risk of injury is significantly increased if they come back to cricket too early.

“What is the impact of intense physical activity on individual players infected by Covid-19 when they return to play?

“What happens should a player develop Covid-19? I have no doubt that many of our players will develop the infection. The challenge for us is when are they safe to return to play, and what are the risks when they return? The more intriguing and challenging question is what is the risk for asymptomatic positives, [people] who have no symptoms but are Covid-19 positive? The risk to them would be significant and we need to determine how we’re going to identify and manage them.”

Smith’s focus was necessarily different, but no less stark: “All cards are on the table and we’re exploring all options. Sport has had to think like business, not just an events company. We’ve got to look at many aspects of our game and how we make it work. Neutral venues, coming together with other nations, looking at what the best opportunities to get our cricket done. Our goal is to get cricket up and running as quickly as possible.”

Also as safely as possible, of course. For all concerned. And the next time Smith is able to go to India he might find he has been granted the freedom of Kolkata.

First published by Cricbuzz.

Dhoni doubt will help SA

“I’ve been ferrying them around the country for six weeks, and he’s the only one who’s never said a word to me.” – India’s World Cup bus driver on MS Dhoni

TELFORD VICE in London

“WELCOME,” Faf du Plessis might say when he shakes hands with Virat Kohli in India in a few weeks’ time, “to my world.”

Unsettled has become South Africa’s default setting, what with player retirements and coach changes galore, and administrators assuming ever bigger chunks of power.

The players’ only certainty is that they can’t be sure what will happen next.

It’s not the best scenario going into a tour of three T20s, the first of them on September 15, and as many tests, starting on October 2.

That said, the Indians are also walking in the valley of the shadow of uncertainty. It clouds the future of only one player, but he is no ordinary cricketer.

MS Dhoni hasn’t picked up a bat in anger since July 10, when he made 50 on the second day of India’s elongated men’s World Cup semi-final against New Zealand in Manchester.

Every close sighting the thoroughly Indocentric crowd had of Dhoni going on and off the field was scoured for signs that he was considering quitting.

It seems he was indeed pondering important issues. The India team’s bus driver, an unvarnished bloke from England’s north, confided gloomily that day at Old Trafford that, “I’ve been ferrying them around the country for six weeks, and he’s the only one who’s never said a word to me. Or anyone else. Keeps himself to himself, like.”

Last Monday, Sourav Ganguly — the captain when Dhoni first pulled an India shirt over his head, in December 2004 — offered perspective: “MS is at a stage in his career where he has to take a decision. ’What can I do ahead? Can I contribute in the future? Can I take India to victory like MS Dhoni, not someone else?’.”

On Thursday, Dhoni wasn’t included in the T20 squad. On Friday, the Times of India quoted an unnamed national selector as saying he had made himself unavailable — adding he had “agreed to hold on” until a replacement was confirmed.

That half-century Dhoni made at Old Trafford was only his sixth in the 21 white-ball innings he has had for India this year, and Kohli earned his 27th test victory at the helm — equalling Dhoni’s India record — in Antigua last Sunday.

Dhoni played his last test in December 2014, and for many Rishabh Pant has done more than enough to also inherit the gloves in the white-ball formats.

All that’s left for the man who won the 2011 World Cup to do, it seems, is retire and allow Indian cricket to move on from his greatness.

He won’t be in action next month but thoughts of him will be everywhere. And that could help a South Africa team who will know exactly how India feel.

First published by the Sunday Times.