INJURY TIME

POOR TIMING

THE state of Cricket SA’s finances despite hosting the Indian team, remains shaky. And it’s not being helped by even more legal proceedings. Adv. Terry Motau certainly became very accustomed to CSA’s offices last year as he worked through a few disciplinary processes regarding the former company secretary Welsh Gwaza and the former acting CEO, Kugandrie Govender. Now Motau gets to earn more money from CSA by chairing the proceedings regarding the national men’s team’s head coach Mark Boucher. But one can’t help but feel that CSA could do with a better head of communications, given how especially the timing of this week’s announcement regarding Boucher unfolded. To do so in the middle of a high profile series was, to put it mildly, sloppy. There’s some great expertise amongst the independent members of the new Board, but as the Social Justice and Nation-building report pointed out, regarding some other topics, communication is vital for the sport and right now, Cricket SA isn’t doing it very well.

TRUE COLOURS?

One example of that came with the release of the statement from CSA regarding Boucher’s hearing. It was topped with a headline ‘CSA SUSPENDS BOUCHER AND SMITH’. That was deleted a short while after, because no such thing had happened. But did it perhaps give an indication into the thinking of at least some on CSA’s Board?

NERVOUS ABOUT NATHI

Amidst this storm about Boucher’s hearing, it’s worth highlighting how CSA is still to make an announcement about a permanent CEO. The position was first advertised in July last year, the deadline to submit applications closed in October. There is no doubt CSA is feeling heat from the government. During his address at CSA’s AGM last year, the minister of sport, Nathi Mthethwa, said in light of the SJN process, whoever CSA names as CEO, would say a lot about the organisation. “If I may be blunt, we can’t have, in the top echelons of cricket, only one race to the exclusion of others,” said Mthethwa. Of course what Mthethwa ignored was that a large proportion of CSA’s recent problems stem from having a bad CEO, which is probably what CSA should focus on avoiding rather than feel nervous about bluster from a minister who can’t even get fans to return to stadia.

FOR THE FANS BUT WITHOUT FANS

The Compact Cup – you know that thing that is an attempt to distract South Africans from the fact that Bafana Bafana didn’t qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations – started yesterday. And it couldn’t be more underwhelming. Even the TV ads are lame. Will anyone even remember this in a month’s time? And what’s the slogan? ‘For the fans, without the fans?’ The sponsors and the PSL are taking advantage of the football fans, who still can’t access stadia. We look forward to Mthethwa offering congratulations again.

‘THE WIFE OF’…UGGH

Weird opening paragraph in the Daily Express for the preview of British superstar Emma Raducanu’s opening match at the Australian Open against Sloane Stephens. “Emma Raducanu will face the new wife of former Sunderland and Hull striker Jozy Altidore in the first round of the Australian Open,” the Express wrote. It’s worth pointing out that Stephens actually won a major, the US Open in 2017, which Raducanu also famously won last year. We reckon the next time Altidore plays perhaps the Express can go with something along the lines of: ‘the husband of the US Open champion….’

SERVE

A press conference with Nick Kyrgios following his defeat to Daniil Medvedev provided the following:

MODERATOR: Any more questions?

Q. What are you having for dinner? NICK KYRGIOS: I don’t know, man … F ***** Daniil’s serve, straight down my throat.