‘SUMMER OF CRICKET’ DELIVERS

“IT’S the summer of Cricket”

That is Cricket SA’s catchphrase for the 2022/23 season. And they certainly have not been wrong. It has been years since cricket has dominated the nation’s imagination like it has over the past months. And it is not even close to ending.

It is a dramatic turn of events after the particularly depressing state Cricket South Africa has found itself in over the past two years. From maladministration to former players complaining about alleged racism they encountered during their careers, leading to sponsors not wanting to be involved with Cricket SA.

At one stage it was so bad that it required the intervention of the national Ministry of Sport. But it certainly seems there is a new dawn for summer’s favourite pastime.

The advent of the new SA20 League, spearheaded by former Proteas captain Graeme Smith, has captured the imagination of the country.

Bankrolled by pay channel SuperSport, and six Indian Premier League franchises, it has combined sport and entertainment in a way not seen in South Africa before. It has put smiles back on spectators’ faces, who have flocked to the venues, and most importantly got young people interested in the sport again.

This energy has been transferred to the Proteas’ men’s team who have put behind them a miserable previous year to start 2023 afresh with an all-important series victory over world champions England to keep their hopes of qualifying directly for this year’s ICC World Cup in India alive.

Furthermore, their much-maligned captain Temba Bavuma has regained form and confidence and also self-respect with a brilliant 109 in the series.

It would not be South African cricket if there wasn’t any drama though, and the non-selection of former Proteas Women’s captain Dane van Niekerk for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup has created a media storm.

However, the show must go on and the country is getting ready to rally behind Suné Luus and her team as they bid to become the first Proteas’ senior team to qualify for an ICC World Cup final.

A festival of cricket still awaits this summer with the Betway SA20 reaching a climax and the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa set to be a spectacle. It really is the “Summer of Cricket”.