Cricket fans must face facts

Though the decision by cricket's big three administrators (England, India and Australia ) will result in a bigger slice of the global financial pie for them, one wonders if some of our "experts" have their heads in the sand when they bemoan the choice Cricket SA made.

They need to face up to some harsh, cold facts:

• Cricket, like pretty much all global sport, is run like a business to maximise revenue streams. England, Australia and India are where the advertising and TV money is. South Africa's exchange rate continues on its slippery path towards R20 to the pound. We have to accept that, despite currently being the No1 Test-playing nation, we can't compete financially. We have to negotiate the best possible deal we can for South African cricket;
• South Africa is no longer a well-supported nation, except in Cape Town. These days most sports fans sit on their backsides watching sport via their DStv subscription. They have an opinion on everything without ever going through the turnstiles to support their provincial or national football, rugby or cricket teams. Compare this with the world-record 98000 attendance on the first day of the MCG for the Australia vs England Test (with an estimated 30000 England fans) to watch what was in effect a dead rubber; and
• Let's also stop the nonsense about lack of marketing. Cricket SA offered tickets for the recent Test series against India (remember, the best and second-best in the world with the added bonus of it being Jacques Kallis's farewell Test, and on Boxing Day) at R40 a day or R30 after lunch and a R10 flat rate for kids. Despite winning the series, and hardly any rain, we didn't have one five-figure attendance, which is an absolute disgrace.

But it's not all doom and gloom. One must remember it's not British pounds or Aussie dollars that make world-class sportsmen. We still have raw talent and a conveyor belt of youngsters that develop through a well-oiled school sports system. We have the climate and facilities to nurture this.

Providing we continue to invest in coaching and facilities throughout the development stages, we still have much to be optimistic about.