Defeat at the World Cup is adding fuel to fires at Cricket SA

The administrators, the players, the coach, the pitches, the domestic structure, the system itself. Everything.

Cricket-minded South Africans are demanding sweeping change in the wake of a shambolic World Cup. But perhaps we shouldn't count Faf du Plessis among them.

"Sjoe, that's a question that's way above my pay grade - I don't know the context of what people have been saying needs to change," Du Plessis said on Friday.

See paragraph one above. Not that the dressing room was on the same page.

"I think Cricket South Africa (CSA) is in a good place. In the last year or two there've been so many young cricketers coming into the main side, probably more than ever.

"So that means there's definitely talent and we are performing ."

He reeled that one in smartly: "Obviously prior to this World Cup we were performing. So as long as you are producing cricketers who are winning there is nothing that needs to change.

"When you start losing consistently, you go 'Right, what do we need to change here?'.

"Right now, people will be very disappointed and so are we as a team.

"But I don't think it's desperate times calling for desperate measures yet.

"It's just having a bit of time . for everyone to go their separate ways and just sit and think what needs to be done.

"Where does the team need to move forward? What decisions need to be made for this team to move forward?"

CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe tried to answer that question this week, saying, "It's about how we tweak one or two things within our system to make sure we are strong and tough-minded cricketers."

What were those things and how might they be tweaked? "The CE has opted not to comment on the team . until the board meeting on the 20th [of July]," a CSA spokesperson said.

BACKTRACKING?

Moroe also declined to be drawn on Ottis Gibson, whose retention as SA's coach Du Plessis strongly supports.

But Moroe has hinted that the implementation of CSA's controversial plan to dismantle the franchise system in favour of doubling the number of teams at domestic level, which was on the cards for next summer, could be postponed for a year.

That has been interpreted in some quarters as an attempt by CSA to backtrack from the blueprint. But that also has consequences: the Warriors, for instance, have contracted their players for one year only because of the future shape of the game.

The SA Cricketers' Association (Saca) has launched legal action against CSA over the proposal, arguing it violates their memorandum of understanding (MoU).

Moroe's reported comments this week - that the restructuring plan was "not something that CSA needs to negotiate with Saca . that's a decision that belongs to the members' council" - have only fuelled the fire.

"CSA is obliged to consult with Saca before any decision to restructure can be taken," Saca CE Tony Irish said.

"The process of consultation is clearly set out in the recognition agreement which is part of the MoU. CSA has totally ignored the consultation process and breached this agreement.

"CSA has ignored the fact that there is an MoU in place until 2022 which is based on the six-franchise system. To change the system CSA would also have to renegotiate the MoU with Saca.

"There has been no attempt to do that. So changing the domestic structure involves both consultation and negotiation. CSA has done neither.

"We all know that there are serious financial challenges, and Saca wants to be part of the solution to addressing that.

"But CSA is excluding us and making unilateral decisions which impact on the players. That cannot be the right way to deal with this."

TALENT DRAIN

The lack of clarity about what it might mean to play cricket for a living in SA in future won't help the country hang onto its players.

They are sought after in England, especially with Brexit, which at this stage will come into effect on October 31, taking the UK out of the EU and thus ending the Kolpak era.

But that won't end the talent drain, what with players having a slew of minimal pressure, maximum earning T20 tournaments to choose from instead of putting up with the challenges the professional game faces in SA.

"Both of those areas [Kolpak and the T20 circuit] are big concerns for cricket in SA," Du Plessis said.

And it could get worse. The Sunday Times understands that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is likely to suspend Zimbabwe's membership - which would mean they cannot play international cricket - at the former's annual conference, which will follow the World Cup, for reasons of government interference.

Might SA suffer a similar fate, what with government keeping a close eye on race targets and CSA mooching local authorities for money?

No. Members have to complain to the ICC about state meddling before the world body will act.

After decades of disturbingly close ties between the game and the regime north of the Limpopo, that has happened.

Not in SA, and it won't happen for a while yet.