While turning a profit of nearly R200-million for the last financial year was good news for Cricket South Africa (CSA), the underlying theme at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) concerned transformation and specifically the enhancement of black African players at senior professional level.
In his report to the AGM, CSA’s president, Chris Nenzani described the absence of a black African player from the national Test side as an “embarrassment,” which is costing the organisation “the vital role-models we need to make cricket the sport of choice among the majority of our population.”
CSA have sought to address those shortcomings by establishing quotas for the six franchises this season that enforce the inclusion of two black African players in the starting eleven. The participation of those players will be closely monitored, to ensure they are getting proper opportunities to display their wares.
It was a theme continued in Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat’s report.
“It is crucial that we tackle the challenges presented in our pipeline so that we can benefit from the vast human potential we are blessed with but have not unlocked to date,” said Lorgat.
He also added that selection at senior national level is based “strictly (on) merit and performance”.
CSA have identified several challenges in its development programme that have inhibited the increase in the number of black African players ‘making it’ at franchise level. A special focus will be made on ‘targets’ at regional junior weeks, but it is the phase after that level – between school and varsity – where some major problems lay. CSA hope that establishing academies alongside the tertiary institutions will help to offset that.
While the success of the SA Under-19 team in winning the World Cup earlier this year suggests schools cricket is thriving, CSA are pushing to make it a major sport at ‘township schools,’ by seeking to achieve sustainability for such a project through regional performance centres.
All those programmes will require money of course, which makes this year’s R199-million profit so important.
Among the factors that contributed to the positive financial outcome for CSA are: The weaker Rand, increased Broadcast revenue, a cost cutting exercise and the creation of new content to fill the gaps left by the shortened tour by India last summer.
This summer will see an increased focus on the RamSlam with three ‘triple header’ days organised during the tournament. It is also hoped the appointment of former national captain Graeme Smith, as the event’s tournament director, will raise the competition’s profile, and attract some big name players.
Most intriguingly, CSA have also moved to host major matches in the larger venues, moving away from a policy of two seasons back. While this hasn’t gone down well with all the provincial affiliates – North West and the Free State unions are understood to have opposed the motion – the money made at the larger venues will be allocated among all the provinces according to the amount of ‘cricket activity’ they create.
Cricket SA’s total revenue for the last financial year was just over R810-million.
*Russell Domingo (coach) and Mohammed Moosajee (team manager) had their contracts with the national side extended by an extra 12 months until April 2016. - The Star