CSA must find a solution for disenfranchised

The debate surrounding a seventh or even eighth franchise for South African cricket has never ended, writes Stuart Hess.

Johannesburg - The debate surrounding a seventh or even eighth franchise for South African cricket has never ended, even if it is not conducted as loudly as was once the case.

These days it is a whisper, but those whispers are constant. Much of that stems from Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) policy regarding the racial targets. At the start of the season a new policy was enforced that demanded franchises pick six black players in their starting teams, three of whom had to be black African.

It was a policy that would be strongly enforced. CSA’s previous racial targets had had very little impact on the number of black African players who’d gotten opportunities at franchise level. As a result there was pressure further up the chain – the national side. The national selectors faced problems in being unable to pick black African players because there simply weren’t sufficient candidates coming through at franchise level. CSA’s policy this season was forced through with very little communication with the players. Hence the deep resentment at domestic level across all race groups.

The letter black African players wrote late last year expressed their unhappiness, specifically about opportunities at international level, received plenty of publicity. Still, it didn’t address the problem at domestic level.

Franchise selectors have often been stuck picking players just to make up the numbers and that does the transformation cause no good. In attempting to find solutions, the debate around expanding the franchise system to seven or eight teams has once more arisen – albeit very quietly.

In 2008 the late Kader Asmal, chaired a ‘Franchise Review Committee’ that included Andre Hudson and CSA’s former president Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka which recommended expanding the franchise system from six to eight teams, with those two extra teams based in East London and Kimberley. Naturally that caused a heck of fight in administrative circles.

In the current climate though CSA need to show (ahem) greater maturity than was the case seven seasons ago. Perhaps the fury expressed by the Sports Minister in his meeting with CSA’s administrative heavyweights last week will serve as motivation for a better practical way forward regarding transformation. The anger and mistrust from the players – off all races – might be assuaged with better communication and great playing opportunities, which an expanded franchise system would create.

Transformation is central to cricket’s future in this country, and thus all avenues to improve policies related to it need to be explored. Expanding the franchise system can no longer be just a whispered conversation.

The Star