STRUGGLING TUSKERS FACE RELEGATION
Tuskers, currently the only local professional cricket outfit from
KZN Cricket Inland campaigning in Cricket South Africa’s Division 1, may unfortunately find themselves relegated to a lower stream at the end of the season.
As things stand at the moment, the Oval-based outfit appear to be heading for relegation and, with the situation now out of their control, they can only hope for a miracle to happen.
KZN Cricket Inland CEO Jason Sathiaseelan told The Witness yesterday that the present situation does not favour the Pietermaritzburg team. He pointed out some of the factors that have led to this state of affairs.
“The team has tried their best but the batting has not been up to standard. The Rocks’ win last week coupled with our loss to the Titans has made it extremely difficult to avoid relegation. It is no longer in our hands even if we win our three remaining matches,” said Sathiaseelan.
In their last three fixtures the Tuskers will face the Rocks today, Dolphins on Friday and the final match against the Lions on Sunday.
Sathiaseelan also complained that the Tuskers had not been given a fair chance to host their home fixtures at home on The Oval. On top of this, injuries had affected the side badly and could cost them their future in the elite league.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) have already congratulated the Knights on their promotion back to Division 1, marking a triumphant return for the team to the upper echelons of domestic cricket.
Following a challenging season that saw them relegated, the Knights displayed exceptional performances across all formats, securing two final spots, and earning themselves a well-deserved promotion back to Division 1 at the conclusion of the 2023/24 season.
The CSA domestic structure, implemented three seasons ago, introduced a dynamic system aimed at enhancing competitiveness and nurturing talent across the country. The recurring automatic promotion and relegation system ensures a fair and equitable platform for teams to strive for success.
The relegated team from Division 1 will be confirmed at the conclusion of the Division 1 CSA T20 Challenge, adding an extra layer of excitement and anticipation to the competition.
But the good news is that the local Tuskers Junior Winter league will go ahead as planned and is already causing a lot of excitement in the city. “The response has been fantastic and we will be having a draft on today [Wednesday] to place players into teams in the U11, U13 and U15 groups. This promises to be an exciting tournament ,”said Sathiaseelan.
“Also, we will be hosting the Tuskers T20 Bash comprising eight teams from April 27.
“We believe the field is ready for play and will host this tournament over five weeks at the Oval with matches being played on Saturday afternoons and Sunday all day. Our outfield is looking good.”