SA CRICKET

WITH THE WORLD IN LOCKDOWN DUE TO THE IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS, uncertainty is the name of the game. And as that age-old expression goes, ‘It’s just not cricket’. In fact, there isn’t a red ball, or white one, in sight. The feeling in March and into April was like being trapped in an extended minute’s silence, waiting for the whistle to signal the end of it and to hear and even feel the roar of the crowd. Cricket is not immune to the necessary drastic measures surrounding Covid-19. Nor is the rest of sport – and more importantly, every part of society. The game will eventually go on, but we’re not entirely sure when, or where. In the meantime we could transport ourselves to a previous time, where there wasn’t an…

FROM THE DESK There’s been plenty of turbulence in South African cricket over the past few months. Although, in truth, the flight path of the sport in this country has been experiencing bumpy times for a lot longer than that. Things remain bleak. Despite changes in the Cricket SA administration, notably the suspension of CEO Thabang Moroe in December (he’s still receiving his full pay) and the appointment of Graeme Smith as director of cricket, as well as a change in coaching personnel, there’s still a lot of sceptism about where things are heading. On the field, the international ‘face’ of South African cricket, the men’s Proteas, have mirrored what’s happening off it. Main sponsor Standard Bank announced it wouldn’t be renewing its contract in a couple of months and results against England…

Kagiso Rabada @KagisoRabada25 Fastest SA bowler to 50 ODI wickets! What a star @NgidiLungi. A pleasure to watch you bro #ProteaFire Allan Donald @AllanDonald33 Our @OfficialCSA ladies fell just short tonight at the @scg in the @iccworldt20 vs @CricketAus. @kappie777 @MdpMinx22 @LauraWolvaardt and the rest of the team and coaches you can be very proud of what you have achieved during this World Cup #proudofyou Sachin Tendulkar @sachin_rt Congratulations to Australia for winning the @T20WorldCup. It was a tough day for #TeamIndia. Our team is young and will grow into a solid unit. You have inspired many across the globe. We are proud of you. Keep working hard and never lose hope. It will happen one day.…

SA Cricket magazine With the current domestic cricket season coming to a premature end due to the coronavirus pandemic, Dolphins batting star Grant Roelofsen is hoping to improve on the stellar season he has enjoyed when the 2020-21 season starts at the back end of the year. Marc Mayes Yeah, this kid is something special, I just hope we don’t mess this up and let him go over to England or Australia. Zain John McPhee Most of the guys who are doing well with the bat at domestic level are wicketkeepers. Akshay Balakrishna Another useless player! Lesiba Ngoepe, Sibonelo Makhanya or Khaya Zondo are way better than him! They should be selected in the Proteas squad! SA Cricket magazine Warriors seamer Andrew Birch has retired from professional cricket. Geoffrey John Stead Absolute legend, deserved higher…

IT HAS BEEN QUITE REFRESHING TO EMERGE FROM THE SERIES against Australia with the state of the game being the main topic. This time two years ago, you may recall, the headlines were dominated by the crude spat between David Warner and Quinton de Kock, ridiculous displays of CSA officials wearing masks to denigrate a visiting player, Kagiso Rabada hiring expensive advocates to fight a ban and the sandpaper scandal. All the ingredients were there for a continuation of the toxic atmosphere when Warner and Steve Smith, having copped a one-year ban for their part in the sandpaper saga, returned to the scene of the crime. There were dire warnings that fans across the country would not forget nor forgive, and the two batsmen would have to brace themselves for sideline…

THE PROTEAS SOUTH AFRICA BEAT AUSTRALIA 3-0 IN THE ODI SERIES DAVID WARNER AND AARON FINCH AUSTRALIA BEAT NEW ZEALAND BY 71 RUNS LUNGI NGIDI SOUTH AFRICA BEAT AUSTRALIA BY 74 RUNS MEGAN SCHUTT aUsTRalia BEAT iNdia BY 85 RUNS…