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Sport :: p61<br />
Meet the new ICC boss<br />
The scheming in international cricket may<br />
leave a bad taste, but it should not have an<br />
impact on the local popularity of the game<br />
... as long as we keep on producing local<br />
heroes and go on maintaining facilities to<br />
grow the game at grassroots. Some local<br />
experts talked to Trudi du Toit about the<br />
state of the South African cricket market.<br />
Photos: Johann du Toit<br />
winning performances by the Proteas against<br />
Pakistan and India helped to keep the cricket-loving<br />
public interested and glued to their<br />
TV screens, justifying the R1.5-bn India’s Taj<br />
TV allegedly paid for the long-term broadcast<br />
rights for five cricket boards — South Africa,<br />
West Indies, Zimbabwe, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.<br />
The injection of TV funds is, however, a<br />
two-edged sword, as TV keeps spectators at<br />
home, especially with the high cost of tickets.<br />
Thus reducing CSA revenue. It might be an<br />
idea to look at the Australian example where<br />
they don’t allow TV broadcasts until a certain<br />
percentage of the tickets for a game had<br />
been sold, former Proteas player and Dolphins<br />
coach Pat Symcox told Cape Talk radio.<br />
While the man in the street will be irritated<br />
by the shenanigans on the world stage, the average<br />
cricket fan is oblivious to the political<br />
in-fighting — as long as our cricket heroes are<br />
playing, they’ll attend matches, says Wayne<br />
Schonegevel of OBO SA, supplier of Aero cricket.<br />
“People love to see heroes in action, heroes<br />
help to keep the game alive. People will<br />
always want to see AB de Villiers play.”<br />
South Africa is one of the top ranked sides<br />
and fans worldwide want to see the best playing<br />
the best, agrees Derrin Bassage of Puma<br />
SA. “Youngsters will continue to dream of one<br />
day becoming like one of their heroes.”<br />
Selling bats<br />
AB de Villiers’ heroic performance certainly<br />
sells bats, says Nicola Ludlow of JRT Crampton,<br />
local distributor of Kookaburra.<br />
Grattan Rippon, supplier of New Balance<br />
cricket equipment, recounts how a father<br />
called him because he wanted “everything David<br />
Miller plays with” for his son.<br />
And after an emotional century-scoring departure<br />
from test cricket, Slazenger’s Jacques<br />
Kallis has been practicing hard to show the<br />
world he’s #1 in the shorter version of the<br />
game, inspiring a new group of young fans.<br />
It still remains to be seen how well Faf du<br />
Plessis’ name will sell the new iXu brand.<br />
There are many indications that cricket is as<br />
popular as ever.<br />
The number of youngsters coming into the<br />
game through Baker’s Cricket is increasing,<br />
which is a promising sign, says Ludlow.<br />
“Our structures at school level are very<br />
strong, and that drives the game,” adds Schonegevel.<br />
“We have wonderful coaches at<br />
schools.” Good facilities is another factor that<br />
encourages youngsters to take up the game,<br />
and in South Africa we have them, he believes.<br />
The nets at any cricket ground are full of<br />
young players being coached in the nets —<br />
many of them getting individual coaching,<br />
says Rippon. There are numerous cricket<br />
academies across South Africa, all attracting<br />
youngsters who want to improve their game.<br />
There are lots of possibilities for talented<br />
cricketers these days, he continues. If you are<br />
good enough to be contracted by CSA you can<br />
earn a good salary. The top guys earn millions<br />
playing in the IPL. “Over the next five years<br />
cricket is going to grow globally,” he predicts.<br />
“There is a lot to play for.”<br />
Bassage is, however, not convinced that<br />
there is much scope for growing the local<br />
player market. “The cricket market in South<br />
Africa has become a mature market with no<br />
substantial growth in player numbers. There<br />
are many factors involved and cricket needs to<br />
keep up with the times to attract newcomers<br />
to the sport,” says Bassage.<br />
Challenge of economy<br />
One of the main challenges faced by cricket<br />
retailers, is the economic downturn and weak<br />
exchange rate.<br />
While some suppliers say they experienced<br />
positive growth during the past year, others<br />
say that the economy had a negative impact<br />
on sales — and even when their products sold<br />
well, retailers battled to pay To p64<br />
February 2014 was a busy month for<br />
Narayanaswami Srinivasan, president of the<br />
board of Control for Cricket in India (bCCI),<br />
MD of India Cements, owner of IPL franchise<br />
Chenai Super Kings, president of the Tamil<br />
Nadu Cricket association ... and from 8 February,<br />
the future chairman of the International<br />
Cricket Council (ICC).<br />
On February 12 Srinivasan appeared before<br />
a Central bureau of Investigation court in<br />
Hyderabad in the bribery trial of Jaganmohan<br />
reddy, accused of selling favours on behalf<br />
of his politician father. India Cements is accused<br />
of investing in his businesses in return<br />
for government benefits.<br />
On February 10 a 170-page report submitted<br />
to the Supreme Court by former Chief<br />
Justice Mukul Mudgal indicted Srinivasan’s<br />
son-in-law and Chenai Kings CeO, Gurunath<br />
Meiyappan, of illegal betting and passing on<br />
information to bookies during the 2013 IPL.<br />
according to the report Srinivasan's India Cements<br />
is liable for Meiyappan's actions and<br />
the Chennai Super Kings could lose their franchise<br />
for being in violation of the franchise<br />
agreement.<br />
One of the people who gave evidence to the<br />
judge was the lawyer of former IPL chief Lalit<br />
Modi, banned for life from all bCCI activities<br />
following charges of financial irregularities<br />
in the IPL and rigging of the auctions of two<br />
new teams. He claimed that Srinivasan ensured<br />
that specific umpires were appointed<br />
when the Chennai Super Kings were playing<br />
and that he rigged the IPL bidding for andrew<br />
Flintoff in 2009.<br />
This report is independent of the Mumbai<br />
police investigation following the arrest of<br />
Meiyappan in May last year, on the same<br />
charges.<br />
Following Meiyappan’s arrest last year Srinivasan<br />
was pressurised into stepping down as<br />
bCCI president in June. The Indian Supreme<br />
Court ruled in September that he should be<br />
barred from being bCCI president until further<br />
orders, but this ruling was set aside in<br />
October 2013 when the bCCI unanimously<br />
re-elected Srinivasan president.<br />
Few people therefore believe that he will<br />
heed calls for him to step down as bCCI boss<br />
following the publication of the latest report.<br />
He has, after all, weathered many other<br />
storms: for example, a 5-year court battle<br />
with former bCCI boss aC Muthiah after Srinivasan<br />
amended the bCCI constitution to allow<br />
him to buy the Chenai Super Kings while<br />
he was the bCCI treasurer in 2008. The conflict<br />
of interest charges continued when his<br />
son-in-law became Chennai Super Kings CeO<br />
and team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni became<br />
a vice-president of India Cements. Kris<br />
Srikkanth, bCCI chief selector, became the<br />
team’s ambassador.<br />
but, as Cricket Sa (CSa) chairman Chris<br />
Nenzani says: he must be assumed innocent<br />
until proven guilty. and so, Srinivasan will<br />
control world cricket from July this year.<br />
2014 March :: Sports Trader
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