FRESH START

Photos: Cape Argus By STUART HESS

New system to revitalise SA cricket

CRICKET South Africa is doing its own version of Back to the Future, just without the rubbish car, fancy self-lacing high tops and the floating skateboard.

From franchises with two – sometimes three homes – domestic cricket will have the primacy of the provinces restored. Western Province, Free State, Northern Cape, Central Gauteng, Easterns, Limpopo, Mpumalanga – names you can locate on a map – will be teams you can see on a cricket field from the 2021-22 season onwards.

It used to be that way, until CSA tried out a franchise system that was meant to mimic the smaller elite state system that made Australia so powerful, while also creating stand-alone economically viable domestic entities.

Importantly, the six-team franchise system was supposed to improve quality and bridge the gap between domestic cricket and the international level. For a while it did, and then it didn’t. Most critically for CSA the franchise system started losing money hand over foot.

So after much consternation, that included the threat of a court case, CSA landed back at the provincial system, albeit one that still contains some remnants of the franchise one – the Dolphins still play in Durban, the Warriors in Gqeberha and the Rocks in Paarl.

CSA will hope the new competition gives birth to talents like Hashim Amla, Thami Tsolekile, Neil Johnson and JP Duminy all pictured here.

The 15 teams have been split into two divisions – an eight-team group at the top, consisting of WP, Eastern Province, KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, North West, Central Gauteng, Northerns and Boland. One key aspect in the new system is the scope for promotion and relegation between the two divisions, adding some much needed competitiveness throughout the season.

It is hoped the new system will also narrow the gap between club cricket and the provinces and thus revitalise that link in the cricketing food chain, which was neglected under the franchise system.

For the first two seasons – starting this summer – there will be no promotion / relegation, allowing teams a period to settle and in the case of Mpumalanga and Limpopo to build up proper playing resources and find solid financial backing.

It is an exciting era – any new one is – and it will be an intriguing examination of the provincial unions’ development initiatives that must supplement a wider playing pool for SA cricket.

Western Province were the last winners of the first-class competition prior to the formation of the six franchises.