Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
A Gayle-force blows South Africa to pieces
West Indies opener blazes to second-fastest T20 fifty in history at Newlands Dien spells out out key goals for cricket in the Western Cape
umpire Johan Cloete ruled otherwise.
The ball certainly hit Gayle’s glove too when he too attempted an ill-judged lap shot off Tahir to finally bring an end to the Proteas’ night of trauma.
Why Gayle tried something so delicate and silly is beyond reason, considering that he earlier in the over pummelled the leg-spinner straight down the ground over long-off before rifling a conventional slog-sweep over the mid-wicket fence off successive balls. The second was such a ferocious shot that although it went for six it hardly went above the advertising boards.
But who are we to question the judgement of the man whohad just blasted the secondfastest half-century in T20 history, off only 17 balls to set up his team for a comfortable victory, ultimately gained when Cape Cobras import Kieron Pollard belted the winning runs in the final over through mid-wicket.
Earlier, South Africa’s bats- men had got their engines going through Rilee Rossouw’s second T20I half-century and a cameo from captain Du Plessis.
The returning Morne van Wyk and Reeza Hendricks had also briefly threatened at the beginning of the Proteas’ innings, but overall it lacked the dynamism of someone like Gayle.
Rossouw tried valiantly at the backend with fellow World Cup squad member Farhaan Behardien to create some sort of momentum after Jason Holder had tightened the noose during the middle overs. Holder continued his upward trend from the Test series by hitting good lengths throughout his four overs that went for just 20 runs. He also picked up Van Wyk’s wicket to complete a good evening for the lanky Bajan.
There were a couple of late Windies wickets for the Proteas that brought some respectability to the eventual margin of defeat, but ultimately it was more to give the home crowd something to cheer about than anything else.
On a night of few positives, Proteas coach Russell Domingo will at least tick off the performances of Rossouw and Tahir, who finished with three wickets, especially as both players will be heading to the World Cup in Australasia in a couple of weeks’ time. MAINTAINING a rich history of development and success will be the key goals for Nabeal Dien after he was officially unveiled as the new chief executive of the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) yesterday.
“Western Province and the board took some time to consider the future leadership of the organisation and we found no better man than Nabeal Dien to lead us into the future,” said WPCA president Beresford Williams.
“He has a proven track record in the game, with almost a 40-year background, he has served cricket in various aspects and roles.
“Over time he has proven his leadership ability in a very complex environment and he has displayed the tenacity required to be a leader. So we feel very confident that he is the right person to take over.”
Dien, the former general manager of the association, will take over from Professor Andre Odendaal. Odendaal will officially retire at the end of the month after 10 years at the helm.
“I have been part of the senior management and the executive board for a long time and over that time we have built something to where we are today, which is a very successful brand as both the Cobras and the amateur side.
“To change something that works is not always very clever, so for me the key is to enhance, consolidate and grow what we already have, those are three pivots that I will use to go forward,” said Dien.
Following Odendaal’s tenure, Western Province and the Cobras have become highly successful in domestic cricket by dominating competitions and also providing the bulk of players for the Proteas in all three formats of the game.
“I see this process as more of taking over the baton from Prof and I will be looking to maintain the organisation’s longevity and long-term success.”
While there are many issues that will keep Dien busy in his new role, one aspect will be transformation and the introduction of more black African players through the system. During his time at the association Dien has been heavily involved in bringing players of colour through the ranks. A host of talents including Omphile Ramela, Thokozani Peter and Brian Shushu have all represented the association in recent years.
“Transformation is not an issue specific to just Western Province, but rather one for the entire country.
“Over the years I have been part of many projects that have yielded great results in bringing through young black African players and yet I feel there is a lot more than can still be done,” Dien said.
“The main goal is not just to create more players but to create environments where these players will enter the game on the same playing field as everybody else, ultimately we want it that players are chosen on their talent while also having a fair representation across the board.”
Having spent time developing the game from all levels including school and grassroots, Dien certainly looks the part to fulfil the transformation requirements.
“I see mini-cricket as an important aspect of the organisation and the same can be said about school and amateur cricket. So in that sense I will be bring a holistic approach to the position.”