‘That would be a disaster,” AB de Villiers said in answer to a question about the possi-bility of another shortened international season in South Africa.
For all Cricket South Africa’s creative solutions, and their shining a spotlight on the domestic game last season, it was really only ever supposed to be a one-off. Sure, elements of what they did have been rekindled this season – the T20 triple-header being the prime example, but it didn’t make up for the absence of one of the marquee events on the South African sporting calendar – the New Year’s Test match at Newlands.
And, 12 months later, here we are again. Instead of the BCCI hating Haroon Lorgat and Cricket SA, it’s the West Indies Cricket Board, hating their own players.
West Indies’ One-Day captain Dwayne Bravo led a “walkout” of his side’s tour of India over a dispute between the West Indies players and the West Indies Players Association who’d signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the WICB.
Players Associations and Boards working closely together is good – Cricket SA and Cricket Australia have solid working relationships with the respective players’ bodies in their countries. In the case of the West Indies, however, there has been a massive breakdown in communication between the WIPA, Bravo and several West Indies team members.
The BCCI have suspended bilateral tours with the West Indies and may still take the WICB to the financial cleaners with figures of around $65-million apparently being sought by India’s cricket authority as compensation for the abrupt end to the tour. If even half successful with such a suit, it would virtually kill cricket in the Caribbean.
Where does this leave Cricket SA and an inter-national season comprising Tests, ODIs and T20 Inter-nationals? Following an urgent Board meeting on Tuesday, the WICB released a statement making four points. The final of those was an assurance to Cricket SA that the WICB will “use their best endeavours to ensure a successful tour of South Africa as scheduled”.
The West Indies no longer carry the lustre of the great teams of the past. Cricket SA were already prepared to make a financial loss on the tour. Tours by Australia, England, India (especially) and the ICC’s tournaments are the big money-spinners upon which the boards not in the “big three” are financially reliant.
And so Cricket South Africa must wait. Again.
Fancy gimmicks like North v South and Boks v Proteas work once. The public won’t be as accepting of that – not so soon after last season. What a sad state of affairs world cricket has become, hey? - The Star