Makusha keeps eyes on prize
SOUTH Africa’s cricket boss has pleaded with fans to treat Steve Smith and David Warner with respect and not “embarrass” the board with poor behaviour when the Australian batsmen tour the country for the first time since a ball-tampering scandal.
Smith and Warner, who incurred 12-month bans for their parts in the tampering plot during a Cape Town test two years ago, were jeered relentlessly by English crowds during the one-day World Cup and the Ashes series last year.
Cricket South Africa’s ( CSA) interim chief executive Jacques Faul said fans who misbehaved would be ejected from venues during the limited overs series, which starts with a Twenty20 match in Johannesburg on Friday.
“I would plead with South African fans to respect our opponents and don’t go overboard with these things,” Faul told Fairfax media.
“It’s competitive on the field, and we don’t need it. Sport in general doesn’t need that behaviour.
“We have a very strict policy in terms of fan behaviour and we will evacuate people but the damage will have been done.”
Australia’s 2018 tour of South Africa was tense on and off the field, and well before the tampering incident at Newlands.
Animosity between opener Warner and South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock spilt over into a heated stairwell confrontation during the first test in Durban, with teammates stepping in to separate the players.
Warner and his wife, Candice, were subsequently targeted by the crowds, and CSA apologised to the Australian team after two of the board’s officials were photographed wearing Sonny Bill Williams masks with fans at the ground.
Candice Warner had a tryst with New Zealand rugby international Williams more than 10 years before the incident.
“What happened last time (in South Africa), the behaviour was unfortunate,” said Faul, who stepped in as CEO in December following Thabang Moroe’s suspension for alleged misconduct.
“It’s embarrassing when it happens — for the stadium and the national federations.
“If there are best practices that we can learn from to prevent it we’re happy to look at it.”
Last month, England allrounder Ben Stokes was fined by the International Cricket Council after a foul-mouthed row with a fan at the Wanderers ground during the fourth test in Johannesburg.
Stokes said he had been subjected to repeated abuse from the crowd and apologised for his “unprofessional” reaction. — Supersport
ZIMBABWE speedster Ngoni Makusha is not leaving anything to chance in his bid to qualify for this year’s Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Having spent a month-long camp at a High Performance Centre in South Africa together with his relay teammates Dickson Kamungeremu, Tatenda Tsumba, Itayi Vambe and Dickson Kapandura — working on their team chemistry and speed, the 25 year-old is looking to move a gear up in his quest.
Only recently, Makusha incorporated the 300-metre dash into his training regime and it has already started paying dividends. “This year, as opposed to the previous ones, my main focus will be on the Olympics Games, where the first objective will be qualifying,” said Makusha.
“We have a lot of races in South Africa, a few in Botswana in the coming months and then the Senior African Championship in Algeria. “The Senior Championships are the last qualifying event for the Olympics,” he said.
As it pertains to his own personal training Makusha said “it has been good so far as we have all been working quite hard. “There are no serious injuries to report, just a few niggles here and there, but overall I’m feeling great and healthy.
“My coach and I recently decided to incorporate the 300metre race into my training as it helps with my speed endurance,” he said. The move seems to already have made a meaningful impact on the young speedster’s psyche, after he was invited to the Milton Classic Shootout and broke the South African record there.
“The Milton Classic Shootout is an invitational event and attracted runners from countries like South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
“There, I managed to run a time of 33,03 seconds which broke their national record, and I was really happy with my performance there.
“It will surely to boost my confidence in my 200 and 100 metre races, going forward, as it is signs that I am getting faster and stronger,” he said.
Makusha’s bright start to the year is, however, a far cry from his 2019 season which was characterised by qualification for the World Relay Championships, in Japan, only to get disqualified inthe heats of the event.
“The most memorable part of the 2019 season remains breaking the 4×100m relay national record and qualifying for the world relays.
“It was a surreal moment for both me and the rest our team.
“What happened in Japan was unfortunate, but our starter stepped on the starting line which is illegal and we got disqualified.
“However, we took it as a learning curve, and we have since moved on.
“Now, the main focus will be on the Olympics and making sure we manage to get there,” he said.