Five dates for cricket fans

A PICK-UP game on Pollok Beach would have been a better contest than what was billed as the Boxing Day test against Zimbabwe at St George’s Park‚ and there is no New Year test at Newlands.

But South African cricket will not be short of important dates this year. Take five:

January 5

Yes‚ today – when everyone will finally shut the hell up about the Newlands pitch.

Enough with opinions about the surface groundsman Evan Flint is preparing for the first test between South Africa and India.

When the first ball is bowled‚ we will know.

February 16

It’s two days after Valentine’s, what do you get? Another bloody one-day international. I predict a rash of break-ups on the horizon. Be prepared‚ South Africans – you are going to have to endure six ODIs between your team and India this summer. Half a dozen of the no doubt numbing things. So February 16 should be a day for celebration – that’s when the last one will be played in Centurion. Will anyone remember the series scoreline by then?

April 3

The Indians will be followed to South Africa by Australia‚ which means the second half of summer will be as big as it gets for Faf du Plessis’s team.

Win both series and all will be well. Win one and things might be sort of OK. Lose both and the sky will fall.

We will have certainty about all that by the end of April 3‚ the last day of the Australian series.

April 30

The relationship between top players and senior suits is necessarily unequal: the players must rule‚ because without them there is no game.

The end of April is when the memorandum of understanding between the South African Cricketers’ Association and Cricket South Africa expires.

Here is hoping one side of that equation will not want to replace the agreement with something that might have come from the mind of Donald Trump.

December

The date of Pakistan’s arrival in South Africa in December has yet to be announced. It will herald the end of months of hibernation for aficionados.

You never know when a Pakistani will get into hot water. Do not scoff: it has happened to them in South Africa before. I can hardly wait. – TimesLIVE