“There is no doubt that guys are playing too many games, in too many formats. At the end of the day, we as a national side sit with issues in that we are sort of keeping guys fit to go and play in other tournaments ... Guys are playing too much and something needs to be done about it.” - Russell Domingo, September 22.
I’ve been critical of Domingo plenty of times in the past, especially in the last year as the South African team he coaches has lurched from one poor performance to the next.
The players have attempted to take some of the pressure off him, saying they need to produce better performances on the field, because in terms of preparation, Domingo and his coaching staff couldn’t be faulted.
So, in one sense, Domingo has been let down by his players. He has also had to deal with an injury list not of his making - Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn last year being the prime examples and more latterly Morne Morkel who, having carried a heavy workload in the absence of his senior seam bowling partners last summer, has missed the last few months with a back ailment.
And then there’s the case in the last few weeks of the Test captain - who’s yet to captain his country in a Test since being formally appointed - AB de Villiers who is likely to be out until Christmas due to an elbow injury that requires surgery.
De Villiers’ value to the SA team cannot be understated. So much so that Cricket Australia, which hosts South Africa for a three Test series in November, will suffer as a result of De Villiers’ absence.
But not as much as South Africa and Domingo. The South African coach is absolutely right here. He’ll go to Australia and, if his team loses (which, in De Villiers’ absence is a very likely outcome), cop a heap of criticism.
De Villiers makes that Proteas team 25 to 30 percent better. Then in April next year, when all South Africa’s international commitments for the season have been completed, De Villiers will head to India for the IPL, produce some ridiculous innings there and we’ll all wonder why he can’t do that for South Africa.
There are a great many problems the International Cricket Council (ICC) need to resolve but near the top of the list is the schedule. From the IPL to the CPL, the Big Bash, the Blast and whatever Cricket SA come up with for the domestic T20 tournament in this country, the calendar will be packed with lucrative domestic events.
As De Villiers’s absence from the Australia Test series shows, the ICC is now in danger of losing the best talent for its premier events.
Do they have the willpower and the wherewithal to do something about that?