The members’ council failed to cross the Rubicon on their first attempt, as former president PW Botha had before them. However, the inevitable shift of power is a matter of time, as PW found to his displeasure. The modern world is filled with leaders who do not know how to step aside with dignity and grace; Donald Trump and Ace Magushule are two such examples.
Similar to “die Ou Krokodil” and the Nationalist Party, the members’ council are relying on their so-called “legitimate” support of a minority to have their way. That is a fatuous belief. Refusing to yield to the wishes of the majority of cricket followers, players, sponsors and broadcasters — the key role players — illustrates their delusion. The Cricket SA members’ council show scant regard for them. The key role players vote with their feet by walking away from the game.
We must not allow any more sponsors, fans or players to slip through the cricket net. David White, CEO of Cricket New Zealand, once told me: “The Black Caps cannot afford to lose any talented player overseas or to any other sporting code. Imagine if Sir Richard Hadlee had chosen hockey instead of cricket, as he might have. How many Tests would we have won then?”
New Zealand boxes well above their weight in rugby, cricket, netball, politics, business, and most other things, through skilled and professional leadership. SA cricket does not have that luxury, however, and have let players and sponsors slip through our fingers as they have lost faith in our administrators and their actions.
If the members’ council decision not to embrace the independent board recommendations is permanently upheld, it will lead cricket down a devastating spiral, as SA had to endure under PW Botha. SA cricket will, similar to that time, increasingly lose global and local support, players will leave for foreign lands and the degradation of the sport will continue. The members’ council will be remembered for their lack of courage, honour and decency — the PW legacy.
History is a future guide to those who open their minds and understand. Spanish philosopher George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.”
Here we are back in the Rubicon era.
Simply, the members’ council must cede their ultimate authority. Cricket SA’s new order under an independent director-dominated board must run the game. The council should consider themselves fortunate to remain in an advisory capacity. To be frank, the members’ council is excess to Cricket SA requirements once the properly constituted board is in place. This is not the time for protracted negotiations and compromise between the minister, the independent board and the council. The members’ council must yield now.
Finding the right directors and leaders is the greatest challenge ahead.
However, now is the time to celebrate the players and managers of SA cricket, who with the interim committee have led the game forward magnificently against all odds. They must be applauded for their courage, innovative ideas and hard work, sans any direction from the members’ council and in the midst of Covid-19.
Let us truly celebrate:
• The women’s Protea team, who are now ranked No 2 on the ICC ODI ratings. Magnificent!
• The sponsors who continue to show trust in the current executive.
• The successful hosting of the Sri Lanka and English tours as well as the domestic season during Covid.
• Our four-day domestic competition, which is live on SuperSport. Wonderful!
• The men’s Protea team, who are taking shape to become a formidable world force.
• The Cricket SA operations team who, under Graeme Smith, have worked tirelessly.
• Our minister of sport, who has handled this crisis with diplomacy. His patience though is being stretched to the limit.
I am hopeful that by the time this column is published, the members’ council would have retracted or been forced to retract their opposition to the independent board’s recommendations. The council have to somehow find their honour and wisdom by stepping down.
It is important to note that this is written with genuine respect for the member councillors’ service to the amateur game in the past. Hopefully they will continue to play a positive role in assisting amateur cricket in their provinces.
The game has changed from an amateur one with volunteer management to a professional game with professional leadership. With the right structure and leaders, we will regain the popularity of cricket in SA and in time return to the top of the ICC rankings, hopefully, in all three formats of the game, as we were under captain Smith.
• Van der Bijl played first-class cricket for Natal, Transvaal and Middlesex over a 14-year span. He was chosen to represent SA for the cancelled tour of Australia in 1971 and was ICC match officials global manager from 2008 to 2015.
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