International cricket must work harder to keep the best
Up until the last decade or so the delicate art of “managing” players was largely left to the captain with the assistance of a good vice-captain or senior pro. We’re talking emotional management, of course, not kit endorsements or contracts.
Whatever the most enduring part of his legacy might be, Hansie Cronjé was an excellent mood manager, apparently able to recognise instantly whether one of his players needed praise, reassurance, a scowl or a bollocking. Everyone who played under him felt appreciated and understood.
But it was towards the end of his captaincy reign that things started to change, when administrators could no longer be kept out of what had traditionally been “private” to the players. “What happens on tour/in the change room stays on tour/in the change room.” That sort of thing.
Social media and cellphone cameras are one reason things have changed — it’s hard to keep the lid on a player’s big night out when pictures of him with his shirt off in a nightclub have been Tweeted and Instagramed 100,000 times.
Two other reasons why things have changed. The first is money and the second is playing schedules, both of which have risen significantly.
As much as patriotic cricket fans still indulge themselves in the nostalgic notion of national pride, it has been worn away for the vast majority of international players long before they have turned 30.
Only the very best players enjoy extended international careers without the constant insecurity of selection and flinching at the ease with which many fans and followers switch from praise to criticism. The rest may try to develop thick skins but I’ve never encountered one that isn’t permeable to strong words.
For hundreds of years cricket has fostered a love-hate relationship among its participants, first because of its vagaries and congenital unfairness (umpires) and now, at a professional level, because of the demands it makes on players’ time.
But whereas there were no alternatives back in the day, an extremely good living can be made outside of international cricket in today’s world.
Traditional supporters baulk every time I say it, but international cricket needs to work harder than ever to keep the best players interested and remunerated. And emotionally satisfied. Players with the most volatile love-hate connection with the game are most likely to opt for the “easy life” provided by domestic T20 leagues. No emotional hassle, not as much exertion and very decent pay. Nobody calling you unpatriotic.
How heartening to see Quinton de Kock score important runs in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. He looked determined and committed, which wasn’t the case during the two Test matches.
Quinton is not a cricket “tragic”. Unlike some professionals, he is equally happy fishing or hanging out in the bush. When you have played as much cricket as he has, it can wear thin.
He is still only 25 but has played 35 Tests, 91 ODIs and 31 T20Is: a total of 157 games for his country. Add on 64 firstclass games, 132 list A games and 138 domestic T20s.
Oh — and there were 30 caps at SA Under-19 level. Quinton de Kock has played 521 representative games of cricket.
When AB de Villiers was falling out of love with the international game he received painfully little support. He didn’t just need time away from the game, he needed his employers to understand why and he needed them to help explain it to the people who accused him of picking and choosing his games, like a prima donna.
Just as De Villiers’s schedule should have been pruned and shaped for him, and with care and understanding not reluctance, so De Kock will need his time on the field closely monitored. Not primarily because his fingers and other body parts get worn out, but because this game sucks away at your emotional fuel tank even more than your physical one.
The SA Cricketers Association has been working hard with Cricket SA to plan appropriately for De Kock and Kagiso Rabada, among others.
They are both still young but when the time comes, they will need empathy just as much as a tour off. Which is why it is so important to have some former players and men with experience of long tours in prominent executive positions.