Cricket South Africa (CSA) will begin a new life under Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka on October 24. The new president will begin by presiding over a decision that could mean life or death for the strength of the domestic game.
Overwhelming support from the 11 provincial affiliates has allowed Nyoka to not only succeed Norman Arendse as the head of the new, restructured Section 21 company that CSA will become in a week’s time, but also douse the enthusiasm of any other potential challengers. Nominations closed last week and Nyoka is the only name put forward for president.
While the contest for vice-president between former International Cricket Council and CSA president Ray Mali and Boland head Peter Cyster will be interesting, the most important decision to be made on October 24 is what to make of the recommendations put forward by the franchise review committee headed by Professor Kader Asmal.
There has been speculation that Asmal and his colleagues are leaning towards recommending the establishment of one or two other professional franchises, which would play in the highest tier of domestic competition — the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Championship and Standard Bank Pro20.
This would mean turning a blind eye to the current economic situation in which the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, CAC40 and their ilk have been taking a battering.
Asmal has been fastidious about ensuring there are no leaks from his committee, but the existing franchises are not exactly adopting a wait-and-see attitude.
The talk is that Kimberley (Griqualand West) or East London (Border), or both, will be granted separate franchises, untying them from their arrangements with the Diamond Eagles and the Warriors respectively.
This might bring on a host of similar applications. The fear is that it could end up going back to the days when all 11 provinces sat at the same top table.
The most telling argument against increasing the number of franchises is financial. More franchises means more cricketers, which means increasing the size of the CSA money pie.
It would be rash for CSA to rush out and make such a financial commitment. As enthusiastic as the cricketing folk of Kimberley and East London are to have their own franchise team, it could set them on the path to financial ruin.
They may feel that they are only supplementing a living at the moment, but competing with the likes of the Titans, Cobras and Eagles would be more costly.
A strength-versus-strength domestic championship is also a necessity if South Africa are to remain a top-class outfit. Players who have become stars for the national team in the last three years, such as AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla, have all come through the franchise system. The next batch of talent who will follow in their footsteps need to play at a level where their skills and temperament are constantly tested.
Neil McKenzie made his Castle Cup debut about 13 years ago in an eight-team competition and faced a Western Province attack that included Craig Matthews, Jacques Kallis, Eric Simons, Brian McMillan and Dave Rundle. He remembers facing an Eastern Province attack featuring Brett Schultz, Eldine Baptiste and Tim Shaw later that season, but that’s probably because he scored 150 not out.
McKenzie has played through the format changes to an 11-team competition and now to a six-team franchise system.
”The franchise system is definitely strength-versus-strength and a lot stronger than the old 11-team competition,” he told the Mail & Guardian. ”Any of the sides can win the franchise competitions, which is not the case when the minnows are playing.”
Adding two more teams to our premier competitions means finding at least another 22 players to compete at that level and, unless the players who are cooling their heels due to their ICL involvement are allowed back, there will be a deficit in experience and, probably, quality.
Those players will have to come from the SAA Provincial Challenge competition, where standards are acknowledged to be below that of the franchise teams.
As good an airline as it is, one would not expect kulula.com to fly all the way to Australia; similarly, a watered-down domestic competition is not going to allow us to keep up with our great rivals from across the Indian Ocean.