Jonhenry Wilson highlights nine talking points from the recent CSA Awards in this week’s opinion piece.
1. And then there were (more than) six
CSA president Chris Nenzani announced that South African cricket will have more than its current six franchises next season. The announcement – arguably premature – evidently caught a few key stakeholders, including Titans CEO Jacques Faul, off guard. Watch this space.
2. Race and sex
Transformation remains the name of the game, as messaging around colour and gender dominated Minister of Sport and Recreation Tokozile Xasa and CSA acting CEO Thabang Moroe’s messaging. Their words had a few eyes rolling in the crowd, but didn’t detract from the main focus of the evening: the players and officials.
3. Selfess Shamsi
Tabraiz Shamsi cuts a self-centred figure on social media (then again, don’t we all?), but was gracious and generous in his acceptance speech on the sidelines after grabbing the Momentum One-Day Cup Cricketer of the Season and Ram Slam T20 Challenge Cricketer of the Season.
4. Questionable integrity
Speaking of social media, there are a lot of self-professed cricket dignitaries who get invited to the CSA awards, which they laud on Facebook and surrounds but criticise behind the judges and event organisers’ backs. Invites are a blessing, not a given, and this ‘gravy train’ mentality must stop.
5. The murmurings were there…
…and have now been confirmed. Lions upstart Janneman Malan and Dolphins star David Miller are headed for the Cape Cobras and Dolphins, respectively. The former will join his brothers, Pieter and Andre, in the Western Cape – and the latter’s departure leaves the Knights increasingly threadbare.
6. Domestic surprise
Mthiwekhaya Nabe seemed a definite for the Domestic Newcomer of the Season trophy, particularly after winning the Cape Cobras equivalent earlier in the year. The accolade, though, ultimately went to his franchise team-mate Kyle Verreynne.
7. Zero out of four
Nominated in four categories – T20 Women’s Cricketer of the Year, ODI Women’s Cricketer of the Year, SA Women’s Players’ Player of the Year and Momentum Women’s Cricketer of the Year – it was a real pity Shabnim Ismail walked away emptyhanded.
8. Happy Harmer
Simon Harmer, who is currently on a Kolpak deal and ineligible to play for South Africa, was named Sunfoil Series Cricketer of the Season. Much fuss has been made about Kyle Abbott and several other’s exits to the United Kingdom, but it’s good that Harmer received due credit.
9. Solid as a rock
AB de Villiers received obligatory gratitude for his contribution to South African cricket – and attentions will soon turn to his ODI replacement. Plenty of names are being thrown around, but Dean Elgar should be the frontrunner. In a time of consolidation after de Villiers’ departure, the Proteas require a reliable resource, not a footloose fit.
