South Africa's problems run deeper
There's been a great deal written about South Africa's troublesome history when it comes to high-pressure situations in the aftermath of the spluttering quarter-final loss to New Zealand, a great deal of it critical
Liam Brickhill
25-Feb-2013
There's been a great deal written about South Africa's troublesome history when it comes to high-pressure situations in the aftermath of the spluttering quarter-final loss to New Zealand, a great deal of it critical. The players have borne the brunt of the criticism, writes Neil Manthorp in the Mail & Guardian, but what about the less-than-perfect administrators behind the scenes?
Like foot soldiers being held accountable for the failure of military strategy, Graeme Smith and his players face the guns alone while the generals sit behind teak desks in oak-panelled offices. There is no apparent accountability among the most senior of Cricket South Africa (CSA) executives. The chief executive, Gerald Majola, recently celebrated his 10th anniversary in the job (a press release was even issued to commemorate the occasion) while the executive board dutifully supports and endorses his every decision.
Administrative executives in South African cricket have never been held accountable for on-field performances, yet the office, surely, is as important as the grass when it comes to running a successful, multimillion-rand sports business.
In the same newspaper's Sports Leader blog, Adam Wakefield pins the blame for South Africa's ignominious defeat on the quirks of the national psyche and urges fans to rally round the team rather than abandon them.
Rob Houwing, a former editor of SA Sports Illustrated and now chief editor at Sport24 perhaps said it best when it comes to describing how we should feel about the Proteas following the 2011 World Cup: “Still, I don’t believe this South Africa group, who overwhelmingly gave it their all and then some, deserve a rotten-tomato welcome home. Let’s be gentlemen and ladies. Let’s all take it on the conk, just as GC Smith and company are having to. And move on. Or at least bloody try to.”
Liam Brickhill is a freelance journalist based in Cape Town