Volume 3 November 2021
ICC CRICKET WORLD CUP 2027
CRICKET IS COMING TO AFRICA!
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CONTENTS IOL COVER STORY
Volume 3 November 2021
F E E L I T, I T I S H E R E ! The African continent is set to host the Cricket World Cup for the first time in 24 years when South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia join forces in 2027. ICC Cricket World Cup | Photo: EPA | See story on Page 16
ICC WORLD CUP
CRICKET IS COMING TO AFRICA!
5
| EDITOR’S NOTE
14 | STRAIGHT SHOOTER
6
| TOP SHOT
20 | AN INDIAN SUMMER AWAITS
After years of drifting in the wilderness, Cricket SA now have a clear goal to work towards in the form of the 2027 Cricket World Cup.
A host of young squash players are starting to make their mark and Awande Malinga is certainly among them.
8
| OLE OUT
Manchester United’s rapid decline lies solely at the door of their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
10 | DYNAMITE
Banyana Banyana star Linda Motlhalo is growing into a real force on the both international and club fronts.
12 | BROOS’ BABES
Bafana Bafana may not have qualified for the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar, but Hugo Broos’ young team showed plenty of promise.
Taking the knee in the fight against racism prior to the start of sports matches has become an evocative issue. Michael Holding explains why it must continue.
Proteas batter Aiden Markram has a chance to right the wrongs of the past when India arrive in South Africa for a bumper tour.
22 | FIRE STARTER
The Ashes is upon us and England’s talisman Ben Stokes is back to do battle Down Under.
24 | SAUDI ARABIAN GP: THE NEW HUB OF F1
No one knows what to expect from the latest track to join the F1 circuit.
26 | THE THREE MUSKETEERS
Philip Kekana, Tschops Sipuka and Xolile Letlaka will form the first all-black African team to compete in the 2021 Kyalami 9-Hour Endurance Race.
Design & Production: Matthys Moss | matthys.moss@inl.co.za Acting IOL Sport Digimag Editor: Zaahier Adams | zaahier.adams@inl.co.za IOL Sport Live Editor: John Goliath | john.goliath@inl.co.za Acting Executive IOL Sport Editor: Thulani Mbatha | thulani.mbatha@inl.co.za
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P3 | NOVEMBER ‘21
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24 July 2021
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AfricA’s queen of the breaststroke, Tuks swimmer Tatjana schoenmaker, will start her Olympic campaign tomorrow. | reg caldecott
BIKINI wars, no-sex beds and an offensive joker who had no one laughing, the week leading up to yesterday’s Olympic Games opening in Tokyo, Japan, played out like madefor-TV drama. Already under the cosh after a yearlong delay due to the global coronavirus pandemic, Tokyo 2020 (plus 1), opened sans the usual pomp and ceremony reserved for the world’s grandest show of athletic prowess and human endurance, with only a fraction of participating athletes in an almost empty stadium. The director of the Games opening and closing ceremonies was given the boot on Wednesday, just two days before kick-off of the grand event, over a past Holocaust joke. Kentaro Kobayashi was lambasted by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a US-based Jewish rights NGO, over his use of the phrase “Let’s play Holocaust” in a 1998 comedy show. Days earlier, Keigo Oyamada, one of the composers for the Games’ opening ceremony, resigned after public criticism over his past bullying children with disabilities. As Kobayashi battled to get his foot out of his mouth, the Norwegian women’s beach volleyball team added their spike to the fight against sexism by refusing to wear bikini bottoms during matches. They refused to come up short(s) against their male counterparts and declared that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. This could be seen as the first coverup in a beleaguered Games that is hedging its bets on TV and streaming coverage, albeit from empty stadiums, to beat the massive daily audience of 27.5 million global viewers, set by the 2016 Rio Olympics. To help readers schedule viewing times to catch all the actual stadium drama, we have compiled a list of the Top 10 women to watch in Tokyo,
nelandri narianan Executive Editor Lifestyle nelandri.narianan@inl.co.za
starting with Africa’s queen of the breaststroke, Tatjana Schoenmaker. The pressure’s on for the Tuks swimmer looking to become the first South African woman to win a medal in 21 years in an Olympic pool. Right now, Schoenmaker holds the record as the world’s fastest woman in the 200m breaststroke, after she set a new African record, winning in 2:20.17 at the South African National Aquatic Champs in Gqeberha. A new African and South African record of 30.32 in the women's 50m breaststroke final also bears her name. Schoenmaker’s first event is in the 100m breaststroke heat tomorrow and she will dive in for the 200m – as a medal favourite – next Wednesday. Japanese tennis superstar Naomi Osaka, ranked Number 2 in the world, came into the public eye after the upset defeat she inflicted on the 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams in the 2018 US Open final. Osaka made headlines when she pulled out of the French Open in May citing mental health concerns as well as sitting out the Wimbledon this year for the same reason. It’s advantage-Osaka as she plays on home turf in Tokyo. The US women’s soccer team is aiming to become the first women’s team ever to clinch the World Cup
All aboard – your private jet awaits - clinton moodley
and Olympic gold back-to-back after failing to do so following its World Cup wins in 1999 and 2015. Key to the team’s aspirations is winger Megan Rapinoe, one of the world’s most talented female soccer players. She won the Best Player Award in the 2019 Women’s World Cup and the Ballon d’Or (Golden Ball) in the same year. At 36, Rapinoe may be making her last appearance in the Games, so she couldn’t ask for a more glorious exit than helping her team achieve a world-first. Tumbling in next is 24-year-old American gymnast Simone Biles, an eightyear veteran of
simOne Biles reacts after competing on the vault during the senior Women’s competition of the Us Gymnastics championships at Dickies Arena in June in fort Worth, Texas. | AfP
the world gymnastics scene, rising to prominence when she was just 16. Claimed by many to be the greatest female gymnast of all time, Biles has had four gymnastic skills named after her. She won five gold medals in Rio and is defending the individual allaround champion's title. Basketballer Sue Bird, 40, is a slam dunk as leader of the US women’s national basketball team, but leadership is not the only skill she brings to the court. The four-time Olympic gold medallist also holds the Women’s National Basketball Association record for the most assists. Bird has her sights set on becoming the first basketball player to win five consecutive golds. Somebody give Bird her own basket for all those medals. Jessica Springsteen, the 29-year-old daughter of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, is carving out her own impressive legacy in the sport of horse riding. The equestrian champ has been riding since age 5 and is Number 14 in the world rankings. Springsteen comes into this year's competition in top form, having just won the CSI4* Hubside Jumping Grimaud 2021, which is considered to be one of the premiere pre-Olympic international equestrian events. Making Olympic history this year is 43-year-old weightlifter Laurel Hubbard of New Zealand. She will be the first trans-
How your unit trusts performed to the end of June - martin hesse
gender person to take part in a modern Games. Among the top-ranked lifters in the women’s +87kg category, Hubbard is seen as a favourite to win a medal, especially after her impressive performance at the 2019 Samoan Pacific Games. While critics insist Hubbard should be barred from competing because of the perceived advantage she has over other women because she was born a man, the International Olympic Committee issued new guidelines that allow a transgender athlete to compete as a woman provided her testosterone levels are below a certain mark. Fleet-footed Shelly-Ann FraserPryce of Jamaica comes into the Olympics in peak form, clocking the second fastest time in history – 10.63 seconds. A two-time gold medallist, Fraser-Pryce, 34, is one of three women to successfully defend her Olympic 100m title. She now hopes to live up to her moniker of “fastest woman alive” in what may be her last stab at the biggest Games in town. Surfing will make its Olympic debut this year and seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia will be riding high in Tokyo. The 33-year-old hopes to bring her country’s surfing success to the Olympic stage, but she is likely to face stiff competition from the USA’s Carissa Moore, who has been Gilmore’s long-term rival. Their fierce competitive spirits will surely create a splash of epic proportions. Rounding off the list is 24-yearold Katie Ledecky, who at 15 was the youngest member of the 2012 US Olympic swimming team - and brought home the gold. Since then she has added four more gold medals to her Olympic kitty, which means she’d have to win three more in Tokyo to tie with Jenny Thompson for the honour of being the top medallist among American women swimmers. | Additional reporting by IANS
opinion A violent history of meting out ‘justice’
Making Olympic history this year is weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, of New Zealand, the first transgender person to take part in a modern Games.
Audi Rs3 street fighter is ready - pritesh ruthun
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Editors’ Note FEEL IT, IT IS HERE! Tuesday, 18 November 2021. It may not have been quite as dramatic as when former Fifa President Sepp Blatter handed the late State President Nelson Mandela the golden envelope that unveiled “South Africa” as the Fifa 2010 World Cup hosts, but it will still be a day etched in the memory of South Africans. Finally, after all the trauma that cricket in this country has endured in the recent past there is something for the nation to look forward to with great anticipation. South Africa, along with its neighbours Zimbabwe and Namibia, were chosen by the International Cricket Council to host the 2027 Cricket World Cup. Cricket SA acting chief executive Pholetsi Moseki, like all South Africans, could not hide his excitement and pledged that it will be “a truly African World Cup” – 24 years after it was last staged on this continent. The tide certainly seems to be turning in cricket circles with the Proteas’ Men’s team also showing encouraging signs of a revival. They may not have qualified for the semi-finals at the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE, but they certainly put in a positive showing by winning four out of their five matches. Key to this transformation has been the form of Aiden Markram and the Proteas batter speaks exclusively to us in this edition, where he outlines his next challenge, starting with Virat Kohli’s Indian team arriving here in South Africa this summer. Even our long lost boys Bafana Bafana are providing the nation with hope again by coming within a whisker of qualifying for the final CAF round of fixtures for Qatar 2022 with only dubious officiating spoiling Hugo Broos’ young team’s chances. The nation is finally starting to see the rainbow again. Enjoy this edition.
Zaahier Adams
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P5 | NOVEMBER ‘21
TOP SHOT A host of young squash players are starting to make their mark and Awande Malinga is certainly among them Photos: Supplied By: HERMAN GIBBS AWANDE Malinga first picked up a squash racquet when she was just seven years old and has not put it down since. Malinga, 16, one of the hottest prodigies in South African squash, developed her passion for the game while watching her dad Celumusa, who is still her coach. Celumusa, though, believes the time has come for him to step aside in order for his daughter to take the step up to the next level. “Awande’s ambition is to turn professional,” he said. “She would also like to explore the opportunity of taking up a scholarship with an international university which will enable her to study, get a degree and at the same time play squash at the highest competitive level. “In the short and intermediate term, she is working on improving her game. She is playing more tournaments, especially international junior events, to prepare for a professional career. “Before Awande can become a force on the world tour, she needs regular exposure to international competition. It means she will need to play abroad
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fairly often and have a professional coaching structure supporting her.” Rodney Durbach, former SA men’s champion and Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, echoes the sentiments. “Malinga is moving up the rankings very nicely. To get to the next level, she needs to play better opponents,” said Durbach. “Your (higher-ranked) opponent is an opportunity to get better. The better your opponent is, the better the chances are that you are likely to improve.” Malinga certainly has the pedigree. She recently finished runner-up at the SA Under-17 national championships, played in the all glass court at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, and is a previous Gsport4girls Public Choice award winner. Squash South Africa’s (SSA) development programmes have started paying dividends with Malinga one of a host of players emerging from the previously disadvantaged ranks and asserting themselves in the national arena. Other names making their presence felt on the national landscape include Western Province duo Seth Flisberg and Jacques Duminy – half brother of former Proteas cricketer JP Duminy – and Zunaid Lewis (Eastern Province). But for Malinga and these other players to improve they require funding.
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“It is a huge challenge, and her trips, as well as accommodation, have all come from the generous squash fraternity,” said Jennifer Sawyer, SSA national manager. “She is restricted in playing international junior tournaments abroad due to (a) lack of funding. She has already represented South Africa on the SA Schools Tour to Asia where the team played in Malaysia and Singapore a few years ago.” According to Sawyer SSA are working on a funding model to assist junior players who qualify for international events in the future. Hopefully it will be achieved, for the sky is the limit for Malinga.
Top and bottom right: Awande Malinga recently finished second at the SA Under-17 national championships, played in the all glass court at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.
SQUASH
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OLE OUT Manchester United’s rapid decline lies solely at the door of their manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Photos: Reuters By: HERMAN GIBBS WHEN the Mohamed Salah-inspired Liverpool hammered Manchester United 5-0 it was time for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær to head for the exit at Old Trafford. Solskjær described the defeat to United’s arch-rivals as his “darkest” day yet as the club’s manager with many of the club’s supporters exiting Old Trafford at half-time when the Red Devils were 4-0 down. “It’s not easy to say something, apart from it’s the darkest day I’ve had leading these players,” said Solskjær. United’s hammering at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ triggered calls for the Norwegian to be fired. The team’s dreadful run under Solskjær’s watch is hardly what fans expected after United secured the high-profile signing of Cristiano Ronaldo, a five-times Fifa Ballon D’Or winner, in the summer. Incredibly, Solskjær has survived being sacked, despite another nauseating 2-0 loss to neighbours Manchester City in early November prior to the international break. There has been no official word from the Manchester United board, but speculation is that there is no succession plan in place, and that he’s been granted a stay of execution. There is also speculation that Solskjær’s former manager Sir Alex Fer-
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guson has urged the board to be more patient with United’s managers since Jose Mourinho was sacked in December 2018. Solskjær insists that he has not lost sleep over ongoing speculation of his sacking. “I do believe in myself; I do believe that I am getting close to what I want with the club. The results lately haven’t been good enough. But we’ve come too far as a group, and we’re too close to give up now. “I’ve got to keep strong, and I do believe in what we’ve been doing, the coaching staff and the players. My job is to put things right, and that is what I am trying to do. I am not here to ask for assurances,” he said defiantly. Since January 1, 2020, United have lost 10 Premier League games at Old Trafford, collecting 56 points at home during that period. It is, by some distance, the worst home record in comparison to City (76), Liverpool and Chelsea (67). Even Solskjær’s former United teammates such as Roy Keane and Rio Ferdinand believe their mate’s hourglass may have run out of sand. “Ole has got to take responsibility, of course he has. I’ve defended Ole for one or two years but he’s the manager and him and his staff needs to get more out of these players, particularly in midfield,” Keane said, while Ferdinand admitting the time may have come for ‘the baton to be handed over’ to another manager.”
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Top and right: Manchester United’s dreadful run under Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s watch is hardly what the Red Devils fans expected after Cristiano Ronaldo signed in the summer.
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Right: Banyana’s Linda Motlhalo on the move as Netherlands’ Inessa Kaagman closes in during the Winnie Mandela International Challenge at Cape Town Stadium.
DYNAMITE Banyana Banyana star Linda Motlhalo is growing into a real force on the international and club fronts. Photos: BackpagePix | Michael Cox Photography By: MIHLALI BALEKA LINDA Motlhalo is diminutive. But what she does with the round ball at her feet defies that physical trait, given her big match temperament at Swedish outfit Djurgardens and the South African national team, Banyana Banyana. There was no doubt that Banyana would find passage against Mozambique in the first round of the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations qualifiers last month. And it was pleasing to witness another superb outing by forward Motlhalo. Motlhalo scored four goals in the 13-0 triumph over the two-legged qualifiers, while she also contributed in the other goals. That was a continuation
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of her form with the national team, having helped the team clinch the Buhari Cup in September. These starring roles by Motlhalo were proof of her growth as a player and a woman. It was not so long ago when she made her first overseas move, joining Houston Dash in the US on the recommendation of former Banyana coach Vera Pauw. After that fruitful stint, she moved to Chinese side Beijing BG Phoenix. Perhaps her biggest career highlight to date was playing in her first World Cup in 2019. That’s where she earned a global status and moved to Sweden as well. Despite the world having been brought to its knees by the coronavirus pandemic early last year, there were positives to jot down for Motlhalo. She was voted as the Newcomer of the Year at Djurgardens after a breathtaking maiden campaign. That didn’t come on a silver plat-
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ter as Motlhalo had to drop some of her habits, including being shy and reserved. She had to find a way to fit into the team, which meant constant engagement with her teammates and coaching staff. “I must say that I didn’t see that coming, getting the Newcomer of the Year award,” she told Gsport4girls early this year. “But again, I would say it’s because of my hard work. And me getting out of my comfort zone.” She added: “I am one who doesn’t speak a lot. But last year, I was able to ask questions. I talked to the players, asking for advice. I think that played a huge role (in my growth and adaptation). That’s why I got the Newcomer of the Year award.”
Right: Motlhalo in action during a training session for her previous club Houston Dash.
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Keagan Dolly and Bruce Vuma console their teammate Rushine De Reuck after Bafana lost to hosts Ghana in their Qatar 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifier.
BROOS’ BABES Bafana may not have qualified for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but Hugo Broos’ young team showed plenty of promise Photos: BackpagePix By: HERMAN GIBBS SOUTH African football has just emerged from a rebuilding phase under wily tactician Hugo Broos smelling like roses. However, there are still parts of Mzansi where the air is thick with acrid smoke, as fans are still fuming from the stinging defeat in Ghana. Apart from the contentious penalty, Bafana Bafana were eventually undone by the criteria of the 2022 World Cup qualifying rounds. Both Ghana and Bafana ended with 13 points at the top of Group G, and both had a goal difference of four. It was the fact that Ghana had scored seven goals, as opposed to Bafana’s six that was the deciding factor. It became clear from his comments, both before and after the Ghana clash, that Broos was not entirely au fait with how things would work should results go down to the wire in the final qualifying match. We know from past Cricket World
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Cups that the Proteas have failed to progress to the knockout stages because their run-rate calculations were not always on point. Somehow, the matter of the qualifying criteria would not have been uppermost in Broos’ mind, otherwise he would have exhorted his players to rack up the goals against Zimbabwe instead of settling for a slender 1-0 triumph. It is also likely to assume that Broos would not have known that Ghana last lost a home match in 2001, and since then have been on a 25-match run (21 wins, four draws) without defeat. If he knew that statistic, he would have mentioned it in his press conferences and would of known Bafana needed a miracle to beat Ghana at home. It points to a case of not being thorough in his homework, and when a World Cup berth is at stake, no stone must be left unturned. So much praise has been heaped on Broos for his youthful squad, which had surpassed expectations. They came within a whisker of reaching Caf’s final qualifying round. On Sunday, more than ever, Bafana’s greenhorns battled the odds against street-smart opponents, and it was a nightmare outing for many of them.
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Individually their ratings were all down, except for left back Terrence Mashego, who fought fire with fire. Broos needed some experienced heads on the field to act as a glue to hold the team together, especially when they were under the whip and required to absorb pressure. It was therefore mystifying why Broos kept his best player, Keagan Dolly, under wraps until the final 15 minutes of the game. Going forward (Afcon 2023 and World Cup 2026), Broos will have to adjust his way of thinking and select some experienced players to balance the team. He has also won the admiration of many after selecting players from smaller clubs, showing an aversion to calling up players from South Africa’s most dominant side Mamelodi Sundowns. Granted, not all Sundowns players are national team material, but there are at least four players who could form the nucleus of a match-winning combination.
Top: Ethan Brooks’ inexperience showed against Ghana, but the young midfielder will have learnt some harsh lessons.
Left: Bafana coach Hugo Broos has won the admiration of many due to selecting players from the so-called smaller clubs in South Africa.
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Michael Holding was an integral part of the legendary West Indies teams of the 1970’s and 80s that also featured Colin Croft (left), Joel Garner (second left) and Gordon Greenidge (second right).
STRAIGHT SHOOTER Taking the knee ahead of sports matches in the fight against racism has become an evocative issue. Michael Holding explains why it must continue Photos: AP | EPA By: STUART HESS MICHAEL Holding was a great fast bowler. There would be some who would argue that he morphed into an even better commentator. But for many he is now a revered social activist, who is at the forefront of the fight against racism and oppression. The West Indies legend recently stirred up emotions at Cricket South Africa’s Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings when he explained the global importance of sports personalities taking the knee. “It is so important for people to understand why we kneel, and for people to understand that it is not an aggressive move,” Holding, who played 60 Tests for the West Indies, said. “People need to understand that gesture. It is the worldwide accepted gesture of realising and supporting the fact that things have not been right, and we need to set them right.” “Kneeling is not any racist, Marxist
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or political movement. It is a human movement that we need to recognise and to accept. We need to kneel to show, and then we hopefully all rise together.” Author of the evocative book “Why We Kneel, How We Rise” released earlier this year, Holding stressed that taking the knee is not a denouncement of any personal beliefs or faith. “We are not asking people to say that their race is bad, we are not asking anything like that, it is for people to learn, why we kneel and also understand that we can rise,” said Holding. “When I say ‘we’ I’m not just talking about people of colour, ‘we’ is in respect of humankind. I have seen a Swedish women’s football team take the knee. There’s no problem of race relations and colour in Sweden, but they can identify with the fact that things have not been right and things need to change. ‘We’ is not just people of colour, the ‘we’ is humankind, kneeling and rising together.” Holding further explained that unlike the US Civil Rights movement in the 1960s, where it was predominantly black people who demonstrated, following George Floyd’s murder In Minnesota last year, there was a much broader range of races demonstrating
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now. “People are coming together and recognising that the world needs fixing,” he said. “I’ve been (to South Africa) many times. I can see it is a great country, but everyone has to work together and accept each other. There are differences, yes, but the differences should not make things that difficult for us to see each other as humans and as one.”
Proteas Men’s captain Temba Bavuma takes a knee ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup match against Australia in Abu Dhabi.
CRICKET
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COVER STORY
CRICKET IS COMING TO AFRICA! IOL South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia are set to host the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup. Photos: BackpagePix | Independent Media By: ZAAHIER ADAMS The Proteas Men’s team enter Newlands Stadium at the 2003 ICC World Cup opening ceremony.
“FEEL IT, IT IS HERE”
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THE ICC Cricket World Cup is coming to Africa in 2027. It will be 24 years since the continent last hosted cricket’s global showpiece in 2003 when South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya welcomed the world. On this occasion South Africa and Zimbabwe will be joined by cricket’s new love child Namibia. It will be a truly continental showpiece with Cricket SA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki promising to deliver a “beautiful African World Cup”, particularly due to the country’s strength of previously hosting major events such as the 2010 Fifa World Cup and the Rugby World Cup in 1995. “We are very excited. It is very important because we have this goal of growing cricket in Africa and we see ourselves as a big brother to both Namibia and Zimbabwe. It was key that we pulled them along and basically turned it into an African tournament and share the occasion with them. It is extremely important for the continent,” Moseki said. “We are a sports mad nation and every time we want to host an event we want to put our best foot forward. We will deliver a truly African World Cup and we will host a multitude of people from around the world and they will be
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excited and leave inspired. We want to deliver a beautiful African World Cup,” Moseki said. It certainly is a major boost for Cricket SA after two years of enduring a major crisis both on and off the field. However, there seems to be a major turnaround in the last couple of months, that despite the Proteas’ Men’s team not qualifying for the knockout stages, they managed to win four of five matches at the recently concluded ICC T2O World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. There is also something major for cricket fans to look forward to with great anticipation. The benefits of hosting the Men’s Cricket World Cup goes beyond watching the best cricketers on the planet on home soil, but it will be a major economic boost for the country’s GDP. “This is great news for cricket in South Africa and indeed the entire African continent. CSA had submitted a compelling bid for the Men’s World Cup to return to our shores and for Africa to again enjoy the sporting, social and economic benefits of hosting this prestigious world cricket event,” CSA Board Chairperson Lawson Naidoo said. “We are delighted that through this tournament the world will get a view of the abundance of talent that abounds in this beautiful part of the world.”
Top: Lungi Ngidi, the Proteas’ superstar bowler poses with traditional dancers during the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy tour at Mandela House in Johannesburg.
Right: South African Airways’ new airbus flies over Newlands cricket ground during the South Africa’s World Cup match against the West Indies.
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AN INDIAN SUMMER AWAITS Proteas batter Aiden Markram has a chance to right the wrongs of the past when India arrive in South Africa for a bumper tour Photos: EPA | ICC.com By: ZAAHIER ADAMS THERE is something about the land of Sheikhs, sand and skyscrapers that brings a glint to Aiden Markram’s eye. It is in the United Arab Emirates that a teenaged Markram lifted the ICC u-19 World Cup – still the only South African captain to achieve this feat at any level – back in 2014. And now almost a decade later, he returned to sample his first taste of the Indian Premier League with the Punjab Kings, followed by being named in the official ICC T20 World Cup XI after a successful tournament with the Proteas. The intervening years away from the desert, particularly in white-ball cricket, have not always been kind to Markram as he navigated the transition from being a youthful prodigy to
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world-class international cricketer. The added responsibility of being burdened with the Proteas ODI leadership at just 23 for a high-profile home series against India in 2018 had an adverse effect on Markram, forcing him into the wilderness for a few years. But he will now have an opportunity to right the wrongs of the past when India return to South Africa this summer for a bumper all-format tour consisting of three Test matches, three ODI’s and four T20I’s. The 27-year-old is expected to be an integral part of the Proteas squads across all three formats, particularly in the Test arena where he returns to open the batting with captain Dean Elgar. “Personally, I think it is about setting up a very good foundation for the team with Dean. If we can get off to good scores upfront against the better teams, it does sort of calm things down so they can come in and do their thing. That is where I am at,” Markram said. The India series will certainly be a stern test of Markram’s and the Proteas’
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resolve following their positive showing at the T20 World Cup. The tourists are no longer the feeble Indian teams of the past who rolled over at the mere prospect of facing a South African pace attack on the Highveld. They possess a power-packed batting unit, led by captain Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara, while also having fearsome set of seamers themselves in Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj and the ever-green Ishant Sharma. “Naturally, we want to beat India. Their Test side and their white-ball teams are up there with the very best. It is going to be a massive challenge for us. It is something we are going to put a lot of emphasis on in terms of getting a positive result,” Markram said. “The focus will definitely be about getting a positive result against, although obviously understanding that they are a powerhouse side.”
Aiden Markram was on fire at the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE earning selection to the official ICC T20 World Cup XI.
Below: Markram has matured greatly since the last time he met Virat Kohli’s Indian team in South Africa.
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SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P19 | NOVEMBER ‘21
FIRE STARTER The Ashes is upon us and England’s talisman Ben Stokes is back Photos: Reuters | ICC.com By: STUART HESS “I had a break to prioritise my mental wellbeing and I got my finger sorted,” said Ben Stokes. “I am looking forward to seeing my mates and being on the field with them. I’m ready for Australia.” And with that Stokes officially announced he was back. After taking two months off, missing the enthralling Test series with India, the IPL and the T20 World Cup, England’s talisman was back for the Ashes. English cricket smiled - Joe Root perhaps more than anyone - and Australia grimaced. Stokes improves England by 50%, not just because of his own remarkable abilities in all three facets of the game, but the lift he gives to those around him. When the England captain spoke to his good mate, the feel-good factor returned immediately. “I just remember having a massive grin on my face for the next couple of days,” Root told The Guardian, about that phone call. “It was just such a joy to hear him speak, you could almost hear his smile, if that makes sense, down the phone. You could tell he was so much happier within himself.” One of the elements of “bubble life” is the sense of claustrophobia. There is no relief from the intensity, and it can
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P20 | NOVEMBER ‘21
feel like the walls are closing in. Managing that has proved to be challenging for many sporting bodies and many are realising that despite the massive financial benefits that professional athletes acquire through sport, there is a huge mental burden that
The famous Ashes urn.
arises from operating within a bio-secure environment as has to be the case in the age of Covid-19. The England and Wales Cricket Board were very happy to give one of their most important players that break, and additionally put no time limits on a return. Cricket South Africa did something similar with Quinton de Kock earlier this year when he returned from Pakistan, although De Kock still
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chose to go to India for the IPL, something Stokes chose to ignore during his spell out. Having a mentally refreshed and undoubtedly focussed Stokes in their team, drastically changes the dynamics of the Ashes. While the Australians are under enormous pressure because they are playing at home, they would nevertheless have been marginal favourite, because of that home-ground advantage. England also have been overly reliant on Root’s runs this year and while he has carried that load magnificently - to the tune of 1 455 runs in 12 Tests at an average of 66.13, and made six hundreds - to expect that to continue, is maybe asking a bit much of Root. His record in Australia, isn’t spectacular - he averages 38 there in nine Tests and is yet to make a hundred - so having Stokes around may assist in relaxing him, and relieve much of the pressure on his shoulders. For Stokes there will be a certain freedom in playing once more. Of course there will be expectations, there always are with him. But he thrives in the spotlight and will happily accept those expectations and aim to end England’s year on a high.
Top and right: Ben Stokes will play a crucial role with both bat and ball in the upcoming Ashes for England in Australia.
CRICKET
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P21 | NOVEMBER ‘21
SAUDI ARABIAN GP: THE NEW HUB OF F1 No one knows what to expect from the latest track to join the F1 circuit Photos: Supplied By: MORGAN BOLTON
SAUDI Arabia has traditionally been known as the focus point for the entire Muslim world. The birth land of Islam, which is home to the two holy cities Mecca and Medina, to which pilgrims descend upon on an annual basis. But with the oil-rich country placing an emphasis on extending their tourism base, there is a new form of pilgrim that will make their way to the desert kingdom this year with petrol heads set to arrive in their masses for the inaugural Saudi Arabian GP on December, 5. The race will be held in the port-side city of Jeddah, whose motto, Jeddah Ghair – Jeddah is different – is also true of the track. The Jeddah Corniche Circuit seems to be a contradiction: It has been described as not looking like a street track, but very much being a street track. Unlike other circuits of its type, such as Monaco and Baku this season, the layout is being purposefully built as both a commercial road and track, but has been used as neither. As drivers race through its 6.174km Tilke Company-designed layout, they will tackle the longest and fastest street circuit on the calendar and only Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium will be longer. There will be no tight corners, or narrow stretches where only one car can run, yet in stretches it will be
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P22 | NOVEMBER ‘21
flanked by either side by frightening and domineering barriers in the vein of Singapore. There will be an incredible 27 corners to navigate – the most of any track – including the banked Turn 10 with its 12° gradient, but will only have a limited number of hairpins and acute angled turns. Average speeds have been simulated at 250km/h-plus; quicker than Silverstone and only second to the Temple of Speed in Monza. A 900m main straight will be the first DRS zone, one of three, on a sprawling track squeezed between the Red Sea and a lagoon. Overtaking is expected here, but also at the sweeping Turn 22. And it is also going to be scorching hot, even though December is the start of the Saudi Arabian winter. Average temperatures during the month in the city are around 30.7°C, and this is the reason that the GP will be a night race held under floodlights at a more
FORMULA ONE
manageable heat. No one knows what to expect from the track and who will go into the race weekend – the penultimate one of the calendar – as favourites. On paper, Jeddah seems to be a power-track, and if that is the case then Mercedes should have the upper hand. Unlike Red Bull, who prefer high downforce set-ups, the circuit should be the opposite, and use a smaller rear wing that generates less force on the back end of the cars. As with all new tracks, grip will no doubt be a concern and how the surface rubbers in during the weekend will inform what race tactic is required, what compound will be preferred and, coupled with the heat, how much tyre wear will occur. It could be that a twopit stop strategy will be the norm. We won't know for sure until race day on Sunday, December 5.
Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, at the launch of the clock countdown to the Kingdom’s first Grand Prix.
FORMULA ONE
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P23 | NOVEMBER ‘21
THE THREE MUSKETEERS Philip Kekana, Tschops Sipuka and Xolile Letlaka will form the first all-black African team to compete in the 2021 Kyalami 9-Hour Endurance Race Photos: sports car 355 | YouTube By: IOL MOTORING SOUTH African motorsport fans will get to see the year off with a bang in early December, with the 2021 Kyalami 9-Hour Endurance Race once again running as the season finale for the Intercontinental GT Challenge, as per the announcement made in October. But now there is more good news for Mzansi racing fans, following the confirmation that an all-black African team will compete in the series for the first time. The 9-hour GT3 race will see Philip Kekana, Tschops Sipuka and Xolile Letlaka competing in their Into Africa Mining Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo race car. Sipuka and Letlaka have competed in this year’s 2021 SA Endurance
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P24 | NOVEMBER ‘21
Series, where they have achieved two victories and a second place finish in four races. Despite missing the first round and a non-finish in Gqeberha, the pair currently lie third in the championship. Letlaka became the first black man to win a round of the Endurance series last year, his first race in a pukka GT3 car, teamed with Charl Arangies. “It will probably be one of the proudest days of my life,” Letlaka enthused about the upcoming race. “Fielding a team with two drivers who grew up in rural villages in the Eastern Cape and one from Soweto speaks to my motto of ‘we lift as we rise’,” he said. Sipuka is a well known personality in SA motorsport circles, having won the Polo Cup title in 2002 and 2003 before progressing into production cars in a factory-backed Audi. He returned to GTC racing in 2019, where he won the East London round. “It will be an honour to showcase ourselves on an international stage,” Sipuka said. “Consistency and speed
MOTORSPORT
will be our watchwords. The Kyalami 9-Hour is going to be a very special moment for our team.” Kekana is another big name on the local scene, having started racing Group N cars in 1997 before winning the title in 2002. Kekana hopes the GT3 race in December will inspire young black children to take a bigger interest in motorsport, especially from an engineering perspective. Kekana says he is both excited and nervous about his GT3 racing debut. Having been out of the sport for a long time, he is relishing his test session ahead of the big race. “It’s going to be a steep learning curve for me; I have to become accustomed to the car – understand how the machine works and how far I can push it. I was very excited when Xolile called to offer me the drive. I’ve been training hard since then,” Kekana said.
Below: Youtube clips of the 2019 and 2020 Kyalami 9H endurance racing events.
Below from left to right: Xolile Letlaka, Tschops Sipuka and Philip Kekana with the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo in which they hope to make it to the podium.
MOTORSPORT
SPORT MAG VOL.3 | P25 | NOVEMBER ‘21
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