Things might not have gone the national team’s way throughout the current home summer but this season could still be a turning point for the sport.
There were marked lows on the playing field for the Proteas men after a shocking exit from the T20 World Cup and squandering a great position in the World Test championship.
However, those failures seem to have ushered in a new era with changes to the coaching structure.
Shukri Conrad, who has been involved in the talent pipeline for some years is a great choice for Test coach and deserves time to make his impact felt.
The series against the West Indies will round off the home summer and also act as the beginning of this new era.
Naturally many fans are sceptical given the way the previous coach, or rather Team Director, was treated.
The axing of the selectors who made some curious picks for the tour to Australia and failed to properly communicate with players comes as a relief.
Also, the latest picks suggest that form in red-ball cricket will be rewarded in the Test arena and CSA have promised that the coach will have greater control but also greater accountability.
The summer isn’t all about the men’s national team though with the domestic scene playing host to perhaps the biggest success of the season in the form of the SA20.
The SA20 brought crowds back to domestic cricket in their droves, achieving better attendance numbers than they might have dreamed of.
Of course, timing is everything and CSA must now do everything they can to best protect their SA20 slot in the schedule.
It is crucial that the tournament plays out in the school holidays and we may even concede that the decision to pull out of the ODI series against Australia has been vindicated to a degree.
Of course, the Proteas still need some wins against the Netherlands to reach the World Cup and avoid the knock-on financial and playing disaster that would come to be if they missed the 2023 World Cup in India.
South Africa also proved that hosting a World Cup is something we can still do with great aplomb as yet more big crowds turned up for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.
It was a great experience for the Proteas women to play in front of packed crowds and hopefully it will spark higher attendances at women’s internationals, and more matches for the ladies at fashionable venues like Newlands and SuperSport Park.
St George’s Park also reminded us that they are the party ground in SA cricket in both the SA20 and Women’s World Cup and let’s hope the venue also gets some love when it comes to the future schedule.
Despite losing in the final, the T20 World Cup was a great boost to women’s cricket and South Africa as a whole and now CSA need to run with the momentum gathered.
As far as tournament staging and organisation the summer was a great success, but now we need to strike and ensure that things improve on the pitch as well.
