The increase in first-class fixtures for Division One unions is good. The foundations of the Proteas Test team had been severely weakened by a schedule that saw the domestic first-class competition comprise only seven matches.
It didn’t affect the players who won the World Test Championship last year, because many of them began their careers in the old six-franchise system, which featured matches home and away. But it would have been worrying for the next generation if it had continued that way.
The structure that was in place until the end of last season stemmed from cost-cutting measures instituted during the Covid pandemic but were maintained as Cricket South Africa (CSA) sought financial stability.
The change to the domestic structure, which had been under review for months, is now official. Teams in Division One will play 10 first-class matches. The eight sides will be divided into two pools of four, with teams playing each other on a home and away basis within that pool, while a set of cross-pool fixtures will be included to make up 10 matches.
The structure of the domestic T20 competition will change too and will involve all 15 provincial unions, plus an SA Emerging team, in a tournament that will comprise two groups of eight — made up of four sides each from Division 1 and Division 2.
Financially prudent move
The one-day competition will remain the same, although in Division 2, first-class matches will be reduced to three days, with what used to be the fourth day now going to be used for a 50-over match. It is a sensible, financially prudent move.
There is optimism from Division 2 officials that they will earn a financial boost from hosting the top teams — perhaps with a few Proteas on hand in the T20 competition. But that is unlikely. Even the Division 1 T20 Challenge final doesn’t attract crowds. The best outcome that can be envisaged is that it exposes players from Division 2 to scouts for the SA20.
Cutting the number of domestic teams is financially wise and can even improve the quality of the provincial game; but it is akin to turkeys voting for Christmas
All the changes, however, may still not be sufficient to save the sport from the fiscal cliff to which it is being drawn as a result of developments beyond SA’s borders.
CSA can’t afford to have 15 professional teams. It needs to make savings in the region of R200m per year, but CEO Pholetsi Moseki has said that, even with cost-cutting measures — like reducing the number of players provincial unions can contract and making the Division 2 first-class competition a three-day tournament as opposed to four days — it won’t help to reach that figure.
CSA, like all national boards around the world, will earn less money out of the ICC broadcast share once a new deal is signed by the game’s international mother body next year.
Senior provincial officials, especially in unions outside of South Africa’s big metros, don’t want to take the kind of drastic changes required to ensure financial stability. Cutting the number of domestic teams is financially wise and can even improve the quality of the provincial game; but it is akin to turkeys voting for Christmas.
No value for cricket
Central Gauteng Lions head coach Russel Domingo, who supports the increase in first-class matches, told Sunday Times in February he also felt the domestic system needed no more than eight teams and that promotion/relegation — which is still in effect — provides no value for SA cricket.
“Let’s have eight teams. Whoever the eight teams are, so be it. Put your peg in the ground and say, that will be the eight teams for whatever number of years, and those eight teams must produce players for South Africa. That’s the bottom line,” he said.
The absence of a sponsor for any of the domestic competitions is a reflection of how Corporate SA doesn’t believe it can get the necessary returns for attaching company names to a provincial tournament.
Most of the sponsorship money in South African cricket goes towards the Proteas and the SA20.
It stands to reason then that everything CSA does — including all its development initiatives — should be directed towards strengthening those two entities.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.