Cricket SA’s (CSA) continued journey on the path to enlightenment is by no means a fait accompli.
Last week the sports minister Nathi Mthethwa trumpeted the cricket administration’s arrival on track to good governance. CSA’s members council (MC), after much procrastination and prevarication, had finally agreed to the appointment of an independent chairperson for CSA’s board and majority representation from independent ranks on that body.
That, however, passed by a paper thin majority on the 14-member MC and still has to be ratified at CSA’s AGM, where a two-thirds majority will be required before it can come into effect. There were two abstentions.
It is highly debatable whether the MC will follow through on that promise when it is put to the vote at the AGM. More from the ranks of the MC need to be convinced of the virtues of independent representation on their board if the minister is going to get his way.
Having a board with a majority drawn from independent ranks to run the business of cricket, means the MC will no longer have unfettered access to the potential riches of the sport.
Cricket’s provincial chiefs, who make up the MC, have long argued the game should be run from within its own ranks and that critical skills shortfalls can be addressed by strategically co-opting independents onto the board.
Leaving the multimillion rand operation in the hands of “cricket people” has, however, proved problematic. The ranks of the MC are generally driven by narrow self-interest and it is perhaps not surprising that a succession of CEOs have left CSA under a cloud.
Having a board with a majority drawn from independent ranks to run the business of cricket means the MC will no longer have unfettered access to the potential riches of the sport.
The sport’s cash reserves have gone into steep decline in recent years.
CSA last year reported a R50m profit, having budgeted for a loss of R67m. The players’ association, however, argued the organisation had lost R250m in that period. That this is even in dispute is alarming.
In their 2018/19 annual report, CSA rather opaquely reported a predicted R654m loss for the 2018-2022 cycle.
Of course other governance issues contributed to the minister’s conclusion that cricket could not be trusted to keep its own house in order.
First he enlisted the help of the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) to step in, as they are mandated to do, to resolve governance issues within the sport.
They failed to and the minister, guided by section 13.5 of the national sports and recreation act, set in motion a series of events, including the installation of an interim board, that will bring us to Saturday’s potentially watershed AGM.
Either way, whether the MC adopt the amendments to their memorandum of incorporation (MOI) or not, there is likely to be fallout. By adopting an MOI that makes provision for their board to be mainly made up of independents, CSA will effectively fall foul of Sascoc’s constitution.
As a movement that subscribes to the Olympic Charter, Sascoc is not a proponent of majority independent representation on their affiliates’ boards.
Cricket, however, is not an Olympic sport and does not have to abide by the rules as prescribed by the Olympic Charter or Sascoc.
Crucially, amending their MOI will not change CSA’s standing with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Australia have a board largely made up of independents.
On Saturday the amended MOI will be put to the vote but don’t expect hard and fast outcomes. It will mean the interim board is likely to have to continue its work beyond the date on which it was supposed to dissolve.
Whether cricket is on the right path is moot. What is more certain is that they are going nowhere, slowly.
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