SA Cricket must adapt or die, says new Lions president

With cricket’s landscape continuing its inexorable shift, the need of provincial unions to keep abreast of change has never been more pressing. 

The new president of the Central Gauteng Lions Union, Mohammed Moosajee, says the challenges for provincial unions are profound, especially given the tough economic climate.

“We need to keep in mind that you can’t run the game like you did a decade or two ago. Too much has changed. You need to be agile, adaptable and your thinking needs to be different,” he said.

Moosajee brings not just a wealth of institutional knowledge to his new role, but expertise from beyond the broader cricket environment. A doctor by profession, he retains his position as head team physician at Kaizer Chiefs.

“Football and cricket are fundamentally different. The similarities come in how you administer sport, how you deal with people, the fact that you are dealing with professional sports people and how you set up an environment for success,” he said. 

In terms of upheaval, cricket has outperformed even the manic nature of the world’s biggest sport. In just over 20 years, the priority for cricket has shifted from Tests being pre-eminent to T20 leagues being the dominant entity, while modern players don’t necessarily see representing their country as a priority. 

“T20 leagues have become lucrative, and a lot of players who would have dreamt of playing for South Africa, many now will say they want an Indian Premier League contract. That is the reality of the game,” said Moosajee.

One of his former jobs as Proteas manager — a position he held for more than 10 years starting in 2008 — gives Moosajee unique insight his fellow provincial presidents lack. 

Provincial cricketers aspire to play international cricket and in that case, who better to learn from than people who know what it takes, understand the pressures and the demands that international cricketers face

—  Mohammed Moosajee

In that period he gained an intimate understanding of the shifting priorities in the sport — not just for administrators but players too. A recent presentation by South African Cricketers Association CEO Andrew Breetzke to the Cricket SA Members’ Council (the body containing the 15 provincial presidents) and the organisation’s board, emphasised just how different the sport’s terrain has become.

“The challenge for SA cricket at large, not just for Gauteng, is how sustainable the game is in a cricket landscape that is changing from what it was a decade or two ago,” said Moosajee.

“From a provincial perspective, certainly for Gauteng and our sphere, there is definitely an understanding (of the changes). That needs to filter down to the club structures, and for them to understand where cricket is going. If we don’t, there is the danger that some unions will start operating on an amateur level, rather than remaining professional as we are right now.” 

From the playing perspective, Gauteng’s appointment of head coach Russell Domingo and Hashim Amla as the batting coach provides the Lions with a level of expertise that can only prove beneficial, regardless of the path the players choose to follow. 

Domingo has  more than a decade’s worth of international coaching experience from working with the Proteas and Bangladesh, while Amla is one of SA’s greatest players. “Provincial cricketers aspire to play international cricket and, in that case, who better to learn from than people who know what it takes, understand the pressures and the demands that international cricketers face?”

Gauteng have created a high-powered spine, running from the boardroom into the change-room — and Moosajee understands that brings pressure and expectation. “The pressure will come with translating that into performances,” he said.

“You can put people in place and have the right processes but it doesn’t mean you will have instant success. It’s about making sure that you have players knocking on the door wanting to be part of the Proteas, and obviously you want to be winning silverware.”