This week’s series loss for the Proteas again served to highlight the fractured state of the game on these shores.
With the battle for the purse strings and soul of the sport intensifying, the national team has been operating, if you excuse the pun, in a bubble, with clear boundaries between what happens on the field and how it is perceived and acted upon higher up on the Cricket SA food chain.
Of course another lost series invites scrutiny and the uncomfortable truth about the 2-1 ODI series loss against Pakistan is, the national team is now losing far too frequently, especially at home.
Each defeat contributes to the erosion of the country’s standing in the international arena, and now almost mirrors the lowly standing the country has among its administrative peers.
Had the Proteas won the final ODI and clinched a 2-1 come-from-behind victory the situation might have been viewed differently, but the fact they lost is a reflection of systemic imbalances in the sport.
One could argue had they had their full complement of players available they might have won the series, although that is by no means guaranteed as they lost the first rubber with all hands on deck.
That the IPL should take precedence over international competition tells you all you need to know about cricket and how it lists its priorities.
Fact is, a team struggling for consistency was always going to find it tough without their marquee players when it came to the crunch. Quinton de Kock, Lungi Ngidi, Kagiso Rabada, David Miller and Anrich Nortjé were all bound for the Indian Premier League (IPL). While the injury that precluded Rassie van der Dussen’s participation further stripped the team of the expertise and experience needed to complete the series comeback.
Even if the intention of the India-bound five was well telegraphed, it still did not soften the impact on the already fragile team. That the IPL should take precedence over international competition tells you all you need to know about cricket and how it lists its priorities.
If the country is producing high quality players just so that they can cash in on their talents on distant shores, then CSA may have to rethink their business model. To be fair though, that genie has long vacated the bottle.
But by placing the IPL above the Proteas, the players have helped deepen a crisis the coach Mark Boucher and director of cricket Graeme Smith can no longer ignore.
The national team is in decline and not even home comforts can insulate the Proteas.
“It’s a tough one because we have to start winning series, especially at home,” Boucher admitted.
The defeats are starting to stack up and Boucher’s suitability for the position is increasingly under the spotlight.
SA have won one out of the three Test series since Boucher became coach. To be fair, the slide started before he took over, with SA losing three of the four series immediately preceding the former national wicketkeeper’s reign.
SA have won one of the three ODI series since he took over, and are yet to win a T20 series with him in charge.
Boucher, who came into the position after a glittering three-year stint with the all-conquering Titans, has to turn things around soon.
He is a fierce competitor, endowed with a bulldog spirit and is unlikely to walk away from the challenge.
However, even as the battle for control at CSA rages, the question about Boucher’s reign that requires an urgent response is whether the national team, albeit one in transition, has progressed since he took change in late 2019. The answer is “no”, but have CSA noticed?
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