Zimbabwe were made aware of a record they weren’t keen to extend, the longest streak in ODI history between victories against another team. Duncan Fletcher was captain when Zimbabwe claimed one of their most famous wins against Australia at the 1983 World Cup but it was to be their first and last for the next 28 games. It took 31 years to play those matches and it ended in dramatic fashion with Prosper Utseya hitting the last ball for six to win at the Harare Sports Club in 2014. That record was shared, however. Until today South Africa had also gone 28 matches unbeaten against their northern neighbours and the Zimbabweans were determined to put an end to the unwanted piece of history on the occasion of captain Hamilton Masakadza’s 200th ODI. "We need to bat for a bit longer than we did in Kimberley, that’s obvious. We’re bowling and...
 Imran Tahir’s ‘rest’ from the tour of Sri Lanka certainly wasn’t requested by the player. That much became abundantly obvious today, not that anybody needed it to be confirmed. “I played in England and the CPL, I was playing all the time. I want to play, I need to play,†said the 39-year-old who proudly lists 31 teams on his playing biography – not including 2nd XIs. He confirmed he’d been “working hard on my fitness because there are so many fit players in this team that you need to keep up the standard.†Although he was careful not to take anything for granted, he mentioned next year’s World Cup on three or four occasions and admitted it was his priority and prime focus. So when might he call it a day? “It’s too early to talk about that,†he said, “but if we win the World Cup then...
There is something quite peaceful about an international venue 48 hours before it hosts an international fixture, especially one of the smaller venues. The administrators and ground staff are quietly pottering about their business in the knowledge that ‘the world’ will start descending on them the following day. It’s the last few hours of relative peace and quiet before they have to start worrying about television rigging, press conferences and VIP suites. The Mangaung Oval was bathed in warm sunshine today as the Free State Cricket Union prepared to host the second ODI against Zimbabwe. It’s hardly an event to ruffle the sporting schedule on a global scale but it is another opportunity for the region to prove its mettle as a host. And yet, right next door, in full view, is the Free State rugby stadium – I think it’s officially called the Toyota Stadium now. It towers over...
There is no time to be spared for anybody who complains about coming to Kimberley for an international. It still provides one of the oldest and most persistent heartbeats of the game in South Africa and they did themselves proud once again with a fine production for the first ODI against Zimbabwe. The worry must be greater than ever that Griquas’ isolation from the rest of the country will increase with less flights to the city from the major centres but they remain determined to be relevant, And they will be. For those of you who haven’t ever visited, and there are many, it is something of a throwback to a bygone era. Your lives will be no poorer, but they will be richer for a visit. A mining and railway city with a rich (literally and metaphorically) history, there is much to cherish about the resilience of the population...
Financial reporting is best left to financial reporters, I’ll be the first to admit. It would be as unfair and unkind (but amusing) to expect them to explain reverse swing as it would be for a sports reporter to explain macro-economics. Or macro anything for that matter. Many years ago one of the ‘real’ journalists arrived at a Sunshine Tour event clearly out of her comfort zone. But she had taken the trouble to do her research and, abiding by the unwritten rule amongst hacks that you ‘contribute’ at press conferences rather than piggy-back on the efforts of others, duly raised her hand to ask the tournament favourite, John Bland, a question after the first round. “John, did you have any holes-in-one today?†Without so much as a blink, never mind a pause, Bland replied: “No, not today, but I’m hoping for a couple tomorrow.†So it is with caution...
It may be hyperbole to suggest the ‘cricket playing world’ has its eyes on South Africa this week but it is certainly true that administrators, marketers, advertisers, broadcasters and many of the top players in the world – and every professional here – are watching T20 developments with a keen eye. In some cases it is no more than rubber-necking, furtive glances to see how bad the crash will be compared to the horror of the Global League’s implosion. There are some with genuine hope but they are not putting their optimism on public display – far too risky. It is 56 days until the first game is scheduled. We have no teams, squads, fixtures or sponsors – and no broadcaster. Cricket South Africa and Supersport have fallen out so badly they haven’t spoken to each other for over a month. Instead, negotiations between CSA and the SABC have been taking place...
In a typically brilliant article on the importance of learning your trade from senior players and others who have walked the path before you, former England captain Michael Atherton traced the lineage of his country’s opening batsman through the last half a century and made the point that there was always an established number one for a young number two to learn from. Graeme Gooch learned from Geoff Boycott, Atherton learned from Gooch and Marcus Trescothick from Atherton. A young Andrew Strauss was mentored by Trescothick and he did the same for Alastair Cook who starts his 161st and final Test match at the Oval on Friday. Also in amongst the mix was Alec Stewart. “I can’t remember much of what Gooch used to say to me about opening the batting in Test cricket, but I know that I learnt the game at the highest level by watching him. I had the best seat in...
One of my most enduring memories of the 2003 World Cup is of the tears building in a wonderful, hard-working and loyal lady’s eyes as the awful realisation finally dawned, and then the slow trickle down her cheeks. She had been literally unable to accept the possibility that the match against Sri Lanka at Kingsmead would not restart – could not face the appalling reality that the host nation would not be featuring in the knockout stages, never mind winning it. Having dedicated much of the preceding four years of her life to the team and the event, she had been willingly persuaded that this was South Africa’s ‘time.’ An hour after the match was abandoned she was in a state of clinical shock. The memories came back to me this week as the but similarly grim reality has slowly been setting in that the country’s desperately needed, new T20...
    The T20 Global League’s collapse is having a far greater impact on South African cricket than any of us could have imagined. Instead of a scenario in which the country’s best player are incentivised to stay at home and commit themselves to playing in, and for, South Africa, they are now facing the same financial conundrum that existed in the early 2000s when rewards were so overwhelmingly weighted towards playing overseas that many felt they had no alternative.     It’s not just the likes of established internationals like Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw – they were offered the security of four-year contracts amounting to more than they could have earned for the rest of their careers in SA, even if they played international cricket on a regular basis.     If the contracts awarded players in the Global League draft had been honoured, over 120 players would have earned between 200 and 500% of their provincial...