Background

Organised cricket has been taking place in South Africa since the British first introduced the sport in the 1880s. England were the first side to tour South Africa in 1888-89, playing their first Test match at Port Elizabeth and becoming the third Test playing nation after England and Australia.^[5]

Since 1890, various national bodies have formed and governed cricket in South Africa. Originally, this was along separate racial lines and South Africa regularly played only against the other white teams of England, Australia and New Zealand. In 1970, after recent incidents such as the D'Oliveira affair, the ICC imposed an cricketing ban on South Africa in response to its domestic policy of apartheid and its refusal to field non-whites or play non-white teams. When the ban was enforced, South Africa was arguably the best team in the world after recent victories over England and Australia. The Test careers of hugely talented players were cut prematurely short, some of whom later emigrated and played for other nations.^[6]

During South Africa’s expulsion from international cricket, a number of different organisations ran domestic cricket depending on the various racial groups. The South African Cricket Association (SACA) administered white players, with the South African Cricket Board of Control (SACBOC) and the South African African Cricket Board (SAACB) administering the different non-white racial groups.^[7] The effect of the cricketing boycott had a significant impact on the domestic game. Standards, attendances and participation fell, and while the game had been revolutionised by the introduction of the Cricket World Cup in 1975, South African expulsion meant that domestic cricket became deprived of new revenue streams.

By 1976, in a dramatic turn away from official government policy, the three organisations agreed to establish one single board to govern South African cricket, and that all future cricket would be played on an integrated and purely meritocratic basis, regardless of race or colour. Termed ‘normal’ cricket, it was hoped this would enable re-admission to the ICC, however, the new South African Cricket Union (SACU) was rejected by many non-white players who saw it as a feeble gesture within the wider context of apartheid. The South African Cricket Board (SACB) was subsequently organised to administer cricket for those non-whites that refused to join the SACU.

As South African cricket continued to be excluded, ‘Rebel Tours’ (unofficial international teams coming to South Africa to play), were organised by the SACU during the 1980s.^[8] Despite intense disapproval by international cricket boards, national governments and the ICC, seven tours were staged in South Africa between 1982 and 1990. Players who joined ‘rebel tours’ ran considerable risks to their own careers and reputations. Many faced ostracization when they returned home, as well as a cricketing ban. The SACU offered substantial amounts of money as an incentive for Rebel Teams to tour, particularly in an age when many cricketers did not earn high wages. Teams from England, Australia, and also the West Indies and Sri Lanka played 19 Tests and numerous One Day Internationals between them against South Africa in these unofficial tours.^[9]

In June 1991, the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) was established following the unity process and the amalgamation of the SACU and the SACB, finally ending racial segregation within South African cricket. Former SACB president Krish Mackerdhuj was elected as the inaugural UCB president.^[10] In July, South Africa was readmitted as a full member of the ICC, playing its first sanctioned international match since 1970 against India in November, and their first ever Test match against the West Indies in April 1992.

In 2002, Cricket South Africa (CSA) was formed and operated in conjunction with the UCB. CSA was responsible for and administered the professional game, and the UCB oversaw amateur cricket in South Africa. In 2008, CSA and the UCB merged, reportedly for tax reasons, with CSA becoming the sole governing body for both professionals and amateurs.^[11]

Mismanagement

In recent years, Cricket South Africa was rocked by significant amounts of turmoil and disorganisation that has caused notable reputational harm, both at home and abroad.

In 2012 Gerald Majola, CEO of CSA since 2000, was suspended and later dismissed following a scandal into unauthorised bonuses. An internal investigation had initially exonerated Majola of any wrongdoing, however a government inquiry later found that he, and several other staff members, had failed to declare a collective US$671,428 in bonuses after South Africa hosted of the 2009 IPL and Champions Trophy. Both CSA President Mtytzeli Nyoka and his acting replacement, AK Khan, resigned in the aftermath of the scandal. The government inquiry subsequently recommended that CSA should be restructured. ^[12]

Haroon Lorgat, CEO since 2013, 'mutually agreed to part ways with immediate effect' from CSA in September 2017 after his position became untenable following allegations that he had deliberately withheld critical financial information from the board of directors. Lorgat had been embattled with the CSA board over the financial expenditure of the now abandoned Global League T20. With tournament outlay alone totalling US$330,000 between May 2016 and April 2017, the league had yet to secure a broadcaster and title sponsor a month before the competition was due to start.^[13]

Under Thanang Moroe, CEO from 2017 to 2020, Cricket South Africa spiralled into numerous crises. A series of high-profile controversies and disagreements with the South African Cricketers Association relating to league restructuring, broadcasting rights, and various administration issues overtook CSA. In December 2019 Moroe was suspended, and later dismissed, following an independent forensic report that had uncovered multiple incidents of financial dishonesty where board money had been paid to private companies for a service that was never delivered.^[14] Throughout this time, CSA had refused to publish the final non-redacted Funduszi Report that had investigated alleged wrongdoing and negligence dating back to 2016 within the organisation.^[15] As a consequence, in October 2020 the entire Board of Directors resigned with immediate effect. The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) announced that they had suspended Cricket South Africa due to ‘maladministration and malpractices’, and had taken over cricketing operations in the country. The acting CEO since July 2020, Kugandrie Govender, (the first woman in the position) herself was suspended four months later, pending the outcome of a hearing into allegations of misconduct during her time as Chief Commercial Officer, as well as acting CEO. She was later dismissed with immediate effect in July 2021. ^[16]

In January 2021, Cricket South Africa appointed Pholetsi Moseki, the former CFO, as acting CEO - the third CEO since the beginning of 2020. In April, the interim board and the Members Council reached an agreement over organisational reforms at the eleventh hour after the South African Government threatened to defund the organisation and remove recognition for all the country's national teams - effectively ending organised cricket in the country.^[17] The International Cricket Council had also announced that it could suspend South Africa due to government interference in the sport, which is against ICC rules.^[18] Zimbabwe Cricket has twice been suspended for political intervention by the ICC, most recently in 2019.^[19]

New Era

In June 2021, a new board of directors was appointed. For the first time, the majority of the board is made up of independents (i.e, outside CSA current administrative or operational circles), and was heralded as a new era for the organisation both domestically and internationally, with the return of administrative professionalism and long-term stability to the sport.^[20] A key focus of the new Board has been rebuilding relations with all stakeholders (internal and external), and stablising operations by recruiting for vacant positions in what had previously been a severely depleted management team, including several key executive positions. Optimism exists within the Board that improvements in the organisation's reputation and credibilty are already tangible, and that CSA is being seen once again as an attractive and credible organisation for commercial partners.^[21]

Structure

CSA is governed by two internal organisation structures with a joint purpose of delivering responsible administration of the game, as well as to nurture sustainable growth and business investment for South African cricket.

The highest decision-making body at CSA is the Members Council, which is formed by the 14 Affiliate Presidents plus the President and Vice President of CSA, who were themselves elected from the ranks of the Affiliate Presidents, to make a total of 16. The Affiliates administer amateur and senior provincial cricket in their respective regions, i.e. Northern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal etc. The Members Council sets general policy for CSA.

In terms of CSA's Memorandum of Incorporation ("MOI"), the Board is currently composed of five non-independent directors (who are Presidents or representatives of Affiliates, and therefore involved with cricket) and eight independent directors, i.e, persons who, apart from their CSA directorships, are not involved with cricket. Independent directors were selected and nominated for appointment by persons were also independent of CSA. Independent directors bring a wealth of experience on the legal, accounting, and business front to CSA's governance processes. The term of office for directors is three years, and a director is eligible for elections for an additional three year term. The Board considers sound corporate governance structures and processess as pivotal in delivering responsible and sustainable growth in the interests of all stakeholders. Strategic direction of the organisation and management of daily operations is the primary responsibility of the Board of Directors, and is performed through the governance framework of CSA committees and internal control procedures.^[22]

Throughout, close consultation is kept with the South African Cricketers Association (SACA), who represent the interests and welfare of the players.^[22]

Transformation

CSA maintain that their continued vision is to ensure that cricket is supported by the majority of South Africans, and that the game is available to all.^[23][24] Although a previous racial quota was repealed in 2007, since 2016 ‘transformation’ targets, although highly controversial, have been set by CSA in order to ensure that more South Africans of colour achieve greater representation at the national level.^[25] The percentage of black African players required in a team currently stands at 25%, up from 18% the previous season. In 2021-22, this will increase to 27% and in 2022-23, it will sit at 33%. Overall, the numbers of players of colour required will increase to 63% by 2022-23, from the current 58%. National teams must field six players of colour, of which at least two must be black African. These quotas however are for an average across the course of a season and are not enforced for individual matches.^[26] A further memorandum had stated from August 2020 that white consultants would no longer be appointed by CSA unless a person of colour could not be found during the recruitment process. In January 2021, it was announced by the interim board that all previous transformation targets adopted by CSA, including the affirmative action against hiring white consultants, would be suspended for the foreseeable future.^[27]

Men's

Test - Having hosted and played their first international first-class game against England in 1888-89, South Africa developed into a competitive team by the start of the 20th century.^[5] Arguably the best team in the world when the ICC imposed an international ban on South Africa in 1970, since re-administration in 1991 South Africa have reasserted themselves as a strong team. Although at times holding the number one position in the international rankings, they have only had one success in an ICC organised tournament, the 1998 Champions Trophy.

ODI - Playing their first One Day International against India soon after readmittance in 1991, South Africa have reached the ODI World Cup Semi-Finals four times, most recently in 2015, but never progressed further.

T20I - South Africa played their first T20I against New Zealand in 2005. Much like the other national squads, the T20I teams fortunes have varied and have been close to silverware. Appearing in 7 T20 World Cups, the Proteas have been semi-finalists twice, most recently in 2014.

Women’s

Test - Making their debut in 1960 against England, the women’s team did not play any international fixtures between 1972 and 1997. Despite being the oldest form of women’s cricket in South Africa, the Proteas have played just 13 Test matches, with the most recent being in 2022 and winning only one. With a win rate of only 8%, T20 has taken on a far more prominent and financially rewarding role, almost ending women's Test cricket as a viable entity.^[28]

ODI - The women’s team played their first One Day International against Ireland in 1997, and have a current win rate of roughly 50% over nearly 200 matches.^[29] Playing in six Women’s World Cups, the Proteas have been semi-finalists twice, in 2000 and 2017, although never progressing further.

T20I - The Proteas’ first T20I was in 2007 against Australia, and have since played over 100 matches. Competing in 6 Women’s T20 World Cups, South Africa have been semi-finalists in 2014 and in 2020.^[30]