Five crucial games when PSL season resumes
CRICKET SA took its next step this week in its bid to create a culture of inclusion, effective promotion of diversity and belonging to the sport of cricket, with transformation committee head Dr Eugenia Kula-Ameyaw steering the ship.
A virtual meeting was held on Sunday, led by President Chris Nenzani, with 40 black former Proteas and senior coaches in response to the much publicised recent revelations of former players detailing their personal experiences of racial discrimination in cricket since unity.
This was, of course, all set it motion when Proteas fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was castigated for wanting to support the Black Lives Matter movement by a group of former white Proteas.
This prompted a response from 30 black former Proteas who issued a signed letter stating stance of solidarity with Ngidi.
Cricket SA have since reiterated their full support for Ngidi and the BLM movement, with all the players and coaches involved in the recent 3TC match at SuperSport Park taking a knee before the game and wearing BLM armbands on the sleeves.
Furthermore, Cricket SA has since launched its Cricket for Social Justice and Nation Building (SJN) project, which includes the establishment of an Independent Transformation Ombudsman whose core function will include the independent management of the complaints system, convening a national SJN Imbizo and providing a success measurement instrument on the extent of the success of the CSA transformation programmes.
In a statement yesterday, CSA stressed that Sunday’s meeting saw an acknowledgement that certain wrongs were committed in South African cricket and that a process to correct them was necessary and urgent. The consensus was that, collectively, CSA and the players will drive a process of redress. CSA’s renewal, restoration and transformation process will be led by the chairperson of the transformation committee, Dr Kula-Ameyaw, who pledged “the critical success factor of the SJN project is for the players and stakeholders to hold the CSA Board accountable for delivery.”
Nenzani also said that this is a deliberate effort to continue the difficult conversations with all stakeholders with the goal of ultimately achieving a broad consensus.“We would like to thank CSA for hearing our cry, reaching out and have an initial engagement,” the players and coaches said in a joint statement.
However, they cautioned that this was only a first step in the process, noting that they had not been included in the planning for the SJN framework.
“We don’t feel any new projects should be unilaterally embarked upon until honest and thorough robust conversations have taken place,” they said.
The group also expressed their disappointment that some of CSA’s operational staff, especially the Director of Cricket Graeme Smith, who would eventually be responsible for the implementation of the ‘new way’, were not part of the discussion.
They requested that these individuals form part of all future engagements so that clarity and broad agreement would be ensured on future strategies, driven by value and culture.
“This process going forward will draft in representatives from the former players, such that it is an inclusive and result-oriented process. When we embarked on this journey, we knew it was an emotive process and that it would elicit a difficult conversation,” Nenzani added.
Meanwhile, Nenzani also refuted media reports that acting chief executive Jacques Faul has resigned and will return to his post as head of the Titans on September 15.
Faul, who is performing his second stint as acting chief after previously standing in for Gerald Majola in 2012, was appointed by Cricket SA’s board last December following the suspension of Thabang Moroe. Faul’s initial contract was meant to run until June, but Cricket SA have yet conclude their case with the suspended Moroe.
AS “Project Restart” nears in South African football, the identity of the new home venues for the 32 PSL clubs in the “bio bubble” in Gauteng were unveiled yesterday during a draw at the league’s headquarters.
The remaining fixtures in the 2019-20 season will remain the same as initially planned, while new dates and kickoff times are yet to be confirmed.
The two Nedbank Cup semi-finals will restart proceedings next Saturday, while three days later, the leagues – the Absa Premiership and GladAfrica Championship – will resume.
The new arrangements will bring a new directive for the rest of the season, and that’s why below football writer looks at five must-watch matches that will be hosted at some of the iconic stadiums.
MIHLALI BALEKA
ORLANDO STADIUM – KAIZER CHIEFS (H) V MAMELODI SUNDOWNS (A)
Home to nemesis Orlando Pirates, Chiefs will be hoping Orlando will be good to them considering it was the same venue that gave birth to the club. Chiefs chairman Kaizer Motaung had recently left Pirates before forming Amakhosi in 1970.
Chiefs’ homecoming couldn’t have come at a better time considering that they are top of the league standings.
DOBSONVILLE STADIUM – SUNDOWNS (H) V ORLANDO PIRATES (A)
Sundowns will be at “home”, but with merely nine kilometres between Orlando and Dobsonville, Pirates will feel more at home when the two clubs clash. Pirates will be out to prove that their win over fellow title hopefuls, Sundowns, was no fluke earlier in the season in Soweto
ElLIS PARK WITS (A)
–
PIRATES
(H) V
Mathematically both teams are still in the title race, considering Pirates are eight points behind leaders Chiefs, and Wits, who have a game in hand, trail by 10.
Wits this season have proven to be good travellers, after bagging more points on the road than at Bidvest Stadium.
FNB STADIUM – WITS (H) V CHIEFS (A)
Set to be one of the most thrilling fixtures during the opening round of the restart of the league season, Chiefs will be returning to their home venue – where they’ll be away – hoping to dent Wits’ aspirations of chasing for the championship.
LUCAS MORIPE STADIUM – MARITZBURG UNITED (H) V SUNDOWNS (A)
The Team of Choice have been one of the most exciting and rejuvenated teams this season, especially with their enterprising football when they welcomed clubs to Harry Gwala Stadium on a Friday. But their resilience and quick adaptation will be put to the test they’ll host visiting teams at Atteridgeville. It should be interesting to see how they’ll handle Sundowns, who have made the Lucas Moripe Stadium their slaughterhouse since dominating local and continental football under coach Pitso Mosimane.