The South African Cricketers Association will not negotiate with any members of Cricket SA’s current Board of Directors as the organisation that represents the players and the one that runs the sport seeks to bridge the divide between them.
Saca yesterday claimed it was astounded that the board had refused to take responsibility for what it described as a “deep, deep crisis,” in South African cricket.
“No-one disagrees with the removal of the chief executive, but to suggest that the buck stopped with him alone, and for the Board to cling so desperately to power, is a matter for serious concern,” the association’s out-going chief executive Tony Irish said yesterday.
Saca and CSA have been at loggerheads for two years - the majority of the tenure of the now suspended CEO Thabang Moroe.
There was the delay in signing the Memorandum of Understanding at the start of 2018 and, more recently, the court case brought by Saca over the restructuring of the domestic programme, with Saca demanding to know the figures on which CSA based their decision to restructure, especially as it pertains to the number of professional cricketers in the country.
That matter has been before the South Gauteng High Court since May and yesterday Saca again accused CSA of delaying the process.
“When Saca’s court application was filed at the end of May 2019 we believe it became incumbent on the Board to, at very least, take a good look at the risk that this presented to the organisation, and to the game, and to deal with it expeditiously,” explained Irish, who will be moving to a similar position at Saca’s English equivalent, the PCA.
“Instead however CSA delayed the proceedings for months and its answering papers were only filed at court in November 2019.”