End of the international summer in South Africa

It is hard to believe that the end of the international cricket summer has arrived. It feels like just the other day the summer got underway with Australia visiting our shores. Before the team heads off to New Zeeland it is a good time to reflect on what has been or could have been this past summer.

South Africa showed that it could be the best cricket team in the world. So what is stopping us? That is the million dollar question. I really do believe that South Africa has one of the best teams in the history of South African cricket. We can beat the best of the best, but we tend to lose to teams that we should not lose to. Sri Lanka was a good case in point.

In order to fully understand how the South African team can become great, we need to look at the past in order to define greatness. Now I cannot speak of teams that I never saw play cricket, but I can speak of the Wes Indies of the 1980’s and the Australians of the late 1990’s. Both were great teams because they never grew tired of success or winning. The Australians went through a period where they won 16 Tests in a row. They demolished everything before them and of course they won multiple World Cups. 

If the Australian cricket team of the 1990’s were used as the bench mark in which we measure greatness, what do we as South Africans need to do to become great?  The short answer is that the national team needs to dominate the international arena and to win World Cups, but we all know that it takes time and a fair amount of luck to do that. Under the leadership of Gary Kirsten we certainly have someone that will take South Africa to new level. I am sure that he has already seen that consistency is what stands between a good South African team and a great South African team. 

However Gary Kirsten alone cannot insure that South Africa becomes a great cricketing nation. The need for a common purpose and goal from the very top to the very bottom is needed and here is where my concern lies. 

Of late media reports have suggested that CSA is looking at changing the current domestic structure from 6 franchise teams to 12 provinces. This I must say is of big concern! Our current national team is strong and reflect what our domestic system did about 4-5 years ago. I tend to agree that more playing opportunities need to be created because there are some very good cricketers that do not get enough playing opportunity. However South Africa does not have enough cricketers of a high enough quality to sustain 12 provinces! We have seen of late the demise of the Indian cricket team and this is in my opinion the direct result of IPL and shift in priorities. 

If CSA is to make the right cricketing decision they will make sure that their decision is based on proper research that will include the sustainability of any decision taken. If they are to make the right political decision the will change the system to 12 provinces. I really do hope that they make the right cricketing decision but the ultimate question remains: Does our current structures allow us to make the right cricketing decisions? That remains to be seen!