Pressure mounts on Cricket SA to fix the domestic game

The pressure is increasing on Cricket South Africa (CSA) to recalibrate the domestic game to help the Proteas Test side.

On Friday, the team’s batting coach Justin Sammons added his voice to a growing group, including players, calling on CSA to outline clear directives to improve the quality of the local game. 

“We’ve got to think out of the box — the board and the director of cricket [Enoch Nkwe] have to find ways. We can’t just resign to the fact that we won’t play enough first class cricket and T20 is going to dominate.

“How do we do that? That’s up to the decision-makers. But it is key for us, we have to play more four-day and first class cricket.

“How they balance that is up to them.”

Last week it was reported that cricketers, through players union the South African Cricketers' Association, have launched a review of the local game with a particular emphasis on the number of matches played domestically.

This season's four-dy first class competition consists of just seven matches for the eight division one teams. 

The teams will play between 21 and 24 matches across the three domestic competitions this season, which most players and coaches believe is woefully insufficient.

The 2022/2023 South African season is dominated by the new SA20 league, starting on Tuesday.

Regardless of the much needed financial boost the tournament will provide, CSA needs to find a way for domestic cricketers to play more and for the quality of the local game to improve. 

“The more games you play, the better you are going to get and the more lessons you are going to take,” said Sammons.

“It is an important focus area for us as a country in how we look after the first class system and four-day cricket in future. It’s going to be a tricky balancing act. It’s the way the world is going. We need our guys playing as much cricket as possible.”

The third day’s play in the final Test between the Proteas and Australia was washed out without a ball being bowled at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday. 

Despite the hosts being in a dominant position on 475/4, Sammons said the South Africans still had plenty to play for. “It has been a tough tour. They are still looking forward to the challenge.

“You don’t improve by sitting in the dressing room on a rainy day. You improve by being out there, whether that is through making mistakes, having a good knock, that's how you grow. It’s important for this group to embrace those challenges and that we look forward to those challenges, that is what Test cricket is about.”

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