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Kyle Simmonds Crowned Overall Division 1 SACA MVP

The 2025/26 domestic cricket season concludes with Western Province all-rounder Kyle Simmonds named Division 1 Overall SACA MVP. Simmonds earned…

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Liam Alder Named Overall SACA MVP for Domestic Division 2

Following the completion of all domestic fixtures, Liam Alder of the Garden Route Badgers finished at the top of the…

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TWELVE YEARS OF RESEARCH-BASED PLAYER SERVICE

Over the past 12 years, the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) has cemented its dedication to evidence-based practice through a…

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DE VILLIERS STEPS DOWN AT TEST CAPTAIN

AB de Villiers has decided to step down as captain of the Standard Bank Proteas Test team with immediate effect.

de Villiers was appointed in January following Hashim Amla’s resignation, and led the team in two Test matches against England before injury forced him to miss the series against New Zealand and Australia at the beginning of the 2016/2017 season.

Commenting on his decision, de Villiers said: “The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me. It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Following the squad’s outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain.

“I have known Faf for almost 20 years, ever since we played in the same school side at Afrikaans Hoer Seunskool, and he will have my unequivocal support if he is asked to continue leading this exciting Proteas Test team.”

de Villiers has been ruled out of the three-match Sunfoil Test series against Sri Lanka after failing to recover sufficiently from an elbow injury.

Proteas team manager, Dr Mohammed Moosajee, explained: “AB’s left elbow is much improved but is still regaining the last few degrees of straightening. Fitness to play requires a full range of elbow movement and this may take another 3-4 weeks to achieve.

“He will be unavailable for the Test series against Sri Lanka and will target a return for the Momentum ODI series starting at the end of January.”

De Villiers has been out of action since the Caribbean Premier League in July and was expected to be fit for the Sri Lanka Tests but still needs another three to four weeks before being declared fully fit. He will target the ODIs later in January 2017, a format in which he remains captain, for a comeback.

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MILLER 100 LEADS SA ‘A’ TO VICTORY

David Miller slammed his fourth List A century to help South Africa A nail a 288-run chase with five wickets in hand against National Performance Squad in the quadrangular series on Wednesday. Both teams are out the race for a spot in the finals, however, after Australia A sealed the second spot with a one-run win over India A on Tuesday.

Miller’s unbeaten 124 off 104 balls took South Africa to 288 for 5 in 46.3 overs at the Ray Mitchell Oval in Mackay. That was after the NPS batsmen put together a collective display to steer them to 287 for 7.

Miller strode out with South Africa having lost both their openers with 54 on the board. That would soon become 62 for 3, when he was joined by Qaasim Adams and the pair strung together a 91-run partnership in 102 balls. Adams was dismissed for a 52-ball 44, before Andile Phehlukwayo joined Miller for a 35-run stand. Thereafter, wicketkeeper Dane Vilas and Miller shut the door on NPS, coming together for an unbroken 100-run sixth-wicket partnership. Miller had hit nine fours and six sixes; Vilas stayed not out on 45 off 39 balls, helped by four fours.

The spinners Matthew Short and Kyle Gardiner took two wickets each, while Hilton Cartwright accounted for opener Khaya Zondo.

NPS had to rebuild early after choosing to bat with Matt Renshaw perishing in the fourth over for 16. Caleb Jewell and Sam Heazlett then struck half-centuries and added 115 for the second wicket, before the rest of the middle order made handy contributions to drive NPS to 287.

The two teams will clash again in the third-place play-off on Saturday. The final takes place the following day at the same venue.

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RAMELA RELISHING SA A CHANCE

Cape Cobras batsman Omphile Ramela is relishing the opportunity of representing the South Africa A team during their forthcoming assignments in Zimbabwe and Australia.

A group of national hopefuls have been in Pretoria over the past few days preparing for their tours to both countries.

The SA A team will play a two-match, four-day, Test Series against Zimbabwe A in Harare from 9-18 July 2016, before they head out to Australia for two four-day Tests and a triangular series that also involves India A.

“I think it’s a stepping stone to trying to get closer to playing for the Proteas,” Ramela said. “I think these tours are important and if one performs, it adds another feather to your cap and gets you closer to playing for the national team. That’s why everyone is here and what they are hoping for.”

Ramela is part of a strong batting contingent named for both trips, alongside others like captain Stephen Cook, Qaasim Adams, Heino Kuhn and Stiaan van Zyl, to name a few.

He said he was hoping to learn from the experience.

“It’s about imparting knowledge to other players, but it’s also about learning from them,” the 28-year-old said. “You can learn from each and I think it’s important to learn from each other.

“Even myself, I’m still growing as a player, but I’ll definitely be trying to help where I can and where my advice will be needed.”

Ramela, who captained the Cobras in the Sunfoil Series last season, recorded 592 runs at an average of 42.28. He also scored two hundreds and two 50s and is hoping to build on that form in 2016/17, starting with the A tours for his country.

He added: “I think the preparation more or less stays the same, you just try and improve on your weaknesses and really make sure your strengths always shine.

“So there’s nothing more different, but I think you really just try and tighten up your game and get better with the focus of trying to excel in the domestic season as well.”

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ICC CRICKET COMMITTEE MEETING OUTCOMES

 

 

International Cricket Structure

 

The committee received a presentation on ICC’s plans to bring greater structure and context to international cricket by creating dedicated competitions in each of the game’s three formats, and there was unanimous agreement from committee members that the current structure of international cricket needed to change.

The committee was very supportive of the efforts to widen the audience for Test cricket across all member countries, and acknowledged the success of the inaugural day-night Test between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide.

It stressed, however, that day-night Test cricket needs to be delivered to a consistently high standard across all member countries if the concept is to be successful, noting that the combination of ball, pitch, lighting levels and environmental conditions needed to allow for an even contest between bat and ball at all proposed day-night Test venues.

The committee also discussed a number of other issues relating to Test cricket, believing a coordinated approach to the marketing of Test cricket was needed, and also expressing concern about the quality of Test pitches, and in particular the common practice of home countries overtly preparing surfaces to suit their own teams.

 

Use of Technology

The ICC Cricket Committee had a long discussion about the future use of technology in international cricket, and particularly umpiring, after receiving a presentation from the MIT engineers on their testing of the current technologies used as part of the Decision Review System (DRS).

The presentation covered the performance of edge-detection systems (both heat-based and sound-based systems), and ball-tracking with predictive path, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each type of technology, and how each could contribute to increasing the number of correct decisions made across international matches.

The presentation was positively received, and the committee believed that the ICC needs to take a more prominent role in the management of the DRS technologies used in international cricket, by firstly establishing a structure and tighter processes to approve new technologies, and then to ensure a more consistent application of the technologies used from match to match.

A detailed report, along with a list of recommended changes to DRS protocols will be finalised over coming weeks and presented to the ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and Board meetings at the end of June.

 

MCC research into the balance between bat and ball

 MCC sought the committee’s guidance on the desirability of making changes in order to redress the balance between bat and ball. The Committee received a research paper from MCC citing a wealth of scientific and statistical evidence showing bats have become more powerful in recent years, primarily due to having larger ‘sweet-spots’.

The committee’s view was that MCC should strongly consider limiting the dimensions of cricket bats to help achieve a better balance between bat and ball.

 

Concussion substitute

 The committee considered a proposal from Cricket Australia for a “concussion substitute” to be trialled for two years in domestic first-class cricket.

The committee acknowledged the seriousness of the issue of concussion in cricket, and stressed the need for consistent concussion policy to be implemented in all countries, but its view was that the current Laws and playing conditions allow players to receive the best possible medical treatment, and further change to the regulations in this area is not required at present.

 

Helmet safety

The committee considered the matter of helmet safety following a presentation on injury surveillance trends by ICC medical consultant Dr Craig Ranson. The committee expressed concerns that there were still too many instances of international cricketers wearing helmets which did not meet the latest British Safety Standard (BSS).

It recommended that the ICC should enforce the wearing of the latest BSS compliant helmets in all international cricket.

 

Suspect illegal bowling actions

The committee noted considerable progress in policing suspect actions in international cricket and encouraged all countries to continue their efforts to screen bowlers in domestic competitions before they reached international level.

 

Women’s cricket update

The committee received a report from Clare Connor, the Chair of the ICC Women’s Committee, on the impact of the recent ICC Women’s World Twenry20 in India, which showed the women’s event received greater exposure than ever before and attracted 24.5 million TV viewers in India alone, as well as generating an average audience of 100,000 in the USA on Willow TV.

The Chairman of the ICC Cricket Committee Anil Kumble said: “We have had positive and constructive discussions across a wide range of different issues and I would like to thank all the members for their valuable contributions and input.

“The main thing that came out of the meeting was regarding Test cricket. The new structure was discussed and everybody was positive and forthcoming in supporting that. The committee acknowledged the importance of efforts being made to promote and grow Test cricket, be it through the introduction of meaningful competition structures, better pitches and marketing.

“Our recommendations will now be taken forward to the next ICC Chief Executives’ Committee and the ICC Board meeting in Edinburgh in July.”

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PHILANDER MAY TURN UP FOR SA A

As hope is fading fast that South African fast bowler Vernon Philander will feature on the English county circuit, the chances are increasing that he might feature for South Africa A against Australia.

Philander is an indispensable part of South Africa’s immediate test plans and was contracted for another two years in January 2016. But he has been a victim of a long-term injury and limited game time, while the plans to re-insert him into the line-up of Nottingham suffered a setback when the Australian fast bowler Jackson Bird got the nod ahead of him.

According to Arthur Turner, Philander’s agent, Bird was preferred because he was available for the whole season and had not been injured recently. Philander only played in three first-class matches the past season, featuring with a match haul of 5-68 for Western Province and nipping out five batsmen at a strike-rate of 39.6 in two matches for the Cape Cobras.

The 30-year old bowler also featured very infrequently for South Africa in 2015 and operated for 93 overs, taking two wickets in four matches.

“Any player who doesn’t play Indian Premier League, for a county or South Africa will be available for (South Africa A) selection and that includes Vernon,” said Zondi.

He said there will be a clearer picture on Friday 20th May about the composition of the SA A-team to Australia.

Allan Donald, a South African fast bowling legend and former national bowling coach, recently warned that Philander had lost some of his nip away from and into the right-hander in his latter spells as he could not sustain that ideal speed of between 136 and 138 km/h which makes him such a wonderful spearhead in opening spells. He also warned that Philander requires an extended time in the middle in order to regain his bowling rhythm. “Just remember, New Zealand (who is visiting South Africa in August) won’t be a push-over,” he added.

André Nel, a former South African fast bowler, said it is not ideal that bowlers are managed by resting them due to what some call extended work-loads. He said bowlers don’t improve by sitting on the side-lines. You cannot expect bowlers to operate for 10 overs a week and then bowl 70 overs or more in a test. You also manage bowlers by hardening them and allowing them to spend time in the middle.

“The problem is that you cannot match the intensity of match conditions by bowling in the nets. That is why it is imperative to spend time in the middle,” he said.

Philander captured 100 wickets in his first 19 test for South Africa, and 24 in his past 13 appearances in white uniform.

Zondi confirmed that Dale Steyn won’t be in action for South Africa A, but will spend time on more rehabilitation prior to the test series against New Zealand.

 

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PROTEAS SLIP DOWN THE ICC TEST RANKINGS

Australia have opened up a six-point gap over India at the top of the ICC Test team rankings. This follows the annual update with the results from 2012/13 no longer included in the calculations and outcomes from the 2014/15 series weighted at 50 percent.

India now lead third-placed Pakistan by just one point. Pakistan have benefitted from the annual update as defeat against South Africa, 3-0, in 2012/13 no longer counts, while the 2-0 loss to Sri Lanka in 2014/15 has its weighting reduced to 50 percent.

The annual Test update has resulted in South Africa dropping from third position to sixth after conceding 17 points. This is due to South Africa’s victories over England, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan in 2012/13 all being dropped from the rankings calculations.

The annual update has also affected the West Indies, who have retained their eighth position but have dropped from 76 points to 65 points. This is because their victories over New Zealand, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe in 2012/13 have all been dropped from calculations.

The gap between the West Indies and ninth-ranked Bangladesh has been slashed from 29 points to just eight points.

With Sri Lanka and Pakistan set to visit England for three and four Tests respectively, Australia travelling to Sri Lanka in July for three Tests and South Africa hosting New Zealand in August for two Tests, the series outcomes may well result in significant movements on the team rankings.

 

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PLAYERS VOICE THEIR CONCERNS OVER DAY-NIGHT TEST MATCH

AB de Villiers, South Africa’s Test captain, has voiced concerns over the day-night match in Adelaide and has suggested that a few Australia players may also be reluctant to go ahead with the game.

The third Test of the series between Australia and South Africa has been allotted to Adelaide between November 24 and 28, according to the 2016-17 summer fixtures released by Cricket Australia, but there is no confirmation yet on whether this will be a day-night game. With the possibility of a No. 1 Test ranking at stake in the match, de Villiers said that that a day-night game could be “fundamental change” to the itinerary.

“At the moment, we are not too keen on playing in the proposed day-night Test match due to a few concerns that have come from a number of sources involved in the maiden Test played last year,” he told Independent Media. “We had a meeting with Steven Smith and some of the Australian players when they toured here earlier this year, and the consensus from our talks were that there are just too many unknowns. Players from both teams were reluctant to go ahead with it.

“South Africa and Australia have a great cricketing rivalry, and this is a series that we value. We could well be playing for an opportunity to regain the No.1 Test ranking, so playing a day-night match is a fundamental change to the itinerary.

The first ever day-night Test, between Australia and New Zealand in Adelaide last year, was dominated by quick bowlers and ended in three days with a three-wicket win for the hosts. De Villiers raised doubts about the durability of the pink-ball used in the format, and said that alterations to the pitch, to reduce wear and tear on the ball, were also a significant factor.

“The pink ball has had some issues with how it responds to 80 overs of Test cricket and that is one of the key issues that we feel plays a big role in the success of the day-night Test,” De Villiers said. “The pitch also had to be ‘doctored’ to minimise the abrasive wear and tear to the pink ball, which seems to happen quicker than the red ball, and this is also an area we feel is a big factor in the run of play.”

De Villiers did not believe that a practice match could help his side adjust to the pink ball: “I don’t think it (warm-up game) will. I don’t think it’s something that you acclimatize to in one match and the intensity of an international cricket match also brings in other factors which are hard to replicate in a warm-up match.”

South Africa fast-bowler Dale Steyn, meanwhile, said he is keen to play a day-night Test in his career. “I don’t want to go through my whole career without playing a day-night game,” Steyn told cricket.com.au in Rajkot where he is playing the IPL . “How cool are they? I thought it looked awesome when New Zealand and Australia played one. It looked entertaining, there was a big crowd. The ball is pink – it’s something different. You want to test your skills with that whole thing and it’s very exciting.”

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ICC World T20 INDIA 2016 SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday announced the groups and schedule of the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016, which will be staged across eight venues in India from 8 March to 3 April.

A total of 58 tournament matches, including 35 men’s matches and 23 women’s matches, will be played in the 27-day tournament in Bengaluru, Chennai, Dharamsala, Kolkata, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi. New Delhi and Mumbai will host the semi-finals on 30 and 31 March, respectively, while Eden Gardens in Kolkata will be the venue of the 3 April finals. The women’s semi-finals and final will be followed by the men’s knock-out matches. There is a reserve day for the finals.

The men’s event will carry a total prize money of $5.6million, which is an 86 percent increase from the 2014 tournament, while the total prize money for the women’s event is $400,000, which is a 122 percent increase from the Bangladesh event.

There have been five different winners of the men’s event while the England women’s team won the inaugural tournament at home in 2009 before Australia won three straight titles in the West Indies, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in 2010, 2012 and 2014, respectively.

According to the men’s event format, eight sides in two groups of four, will feature in the first round matches with the group winners joining eight sides in the Super 10 stage (two groups of five teams). The top two sides from both the Super 10 Groups will then qualify for the semi-finals. In the women’s event, the 10 sides will be divided into two groups and the top two sides from each group will progress to the semi-finals.

The first round matches in the men’s event will take place in Dharamsala and Nagpur from 8-13 March and will feature Bangladesh, Netherlands, Ireland, debutant Oman (all in Group A), Zimbabwe, Scotland, Hong Kong and Afghanistan (all in Group B). In a double-header on the opening day on 8 March, Zimbabwe will face Hong Kong in the afternoon match, to be followed by the evening match between Scotland and Afghanistan. Both the matches will be played in Nagpur.

The group winners will join Australia, England, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, West Indies and host India in the Super 10 stage, which will be played alongside the women’s event from 15-28 March.

Men’s defending champion Sri Lanka has been placed in Super 10 Group 1 along with South Africa, West Indies, England and the Group B winner. It will open its title defence against the Group B winner in Kolkata on 17 March, and play West Indies in Bengaluru on 20 March, England in New Delhi on 26 March and South Africa in New Delhi on 28 March.

Host India, which won the inaugural tournament in South Africa in 2007, is in Super 10 Group 2 along with 2009 winner Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and the Group A winner. India will launch its campaign in Nagpur against New Zealand on 15 March, while it will go head to head with Pakistan in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its other matches will be against the Group A winner in Bengaluru on 23 March and Australia in Mohali on 27 March.

2009 champion Pakistan will take on the Group A winner in Kolkata on 16 March, before locking horns with traditional rival India in Dharamsala on 19 March. Its remaining two matches will be in Mohali against New Zealand and Australia on 22 and 25 March, respectively.

England, which won the 2010 tournament in the West Indies, takes on 2012 winner the West Indies in Mumbai on 16 March, followed by matches against South Africa (18 March in Mumbai), the Group B winner (23 March in New Delhi) and Sri Lanka (26 March in New Delhi).

After taking on England in its tournament opener, the West Indies will square off against Sri Lanka (20 March in Bengaluru), South Africa (25 March in Nagpur) and the Group B winner (27 March in Nagpur).

Meanwhile, in the women’s tournament, 2009 champion England is in Group B along with the West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, and will start off against Bangladesh in Bengaluru on 17 March. Its other matches will be against India (22 March in Dharamsala), West Indies (24 March in Dharamsala) and Pakistan (27 March in Chennai).

Australia women, who will be bidding to win the title for the fourth straight time, is in Group A along with South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland. Their opening match will be against South Africa (18 March in Nagpur), followed by matches against New Zealand (21 March in Nagpur), Sri Lanka (24 March in New Delhi) and Ireland (24 March in New Delhi).

ICC Chairman Mr Shashank Manohar, who attended the launch ceremony in Mumbai, said: “India is a country where cricket is a religion and not many places can match the passion for the game like India. I am fully confident that the Board of Control for Cricket in India will deliver an outstanding world cricket event, just like the ICC Cricket World Cups in 1987, 1996 and 2011.

“The ICC and BCCI are fully committed and will work together to make this a memorable event. I invite fans from across the world to witness fast-paced cricketing action on the field and enjoy the hospitality and culture of India, off it.”

ICC Chief Executive David Richardson said: “The ICC World Twenty20 is an event which puts the world’s best cricketers in the shortest format of the game against each other in a nation versus nation contest.

“The Twenty20 format provides the perfect vehicle by which the ICC can further globalise the game, providing international exposure and opportunity to our top Associate and Affiliate members. The ICC World Twenty20 event structure is designed to provide highly competitive matches throughout, with eight evenly-matched sides fighting it out in the first round and the best two then getting in the mix with the top eight ranked teams in the Super 10 stage where the intensity and competition will be of the very highest level.”

BCCI Secretary Mr Anurag Thakur said: “We, as hosts, are fully prepared to organise one of the most entertaining spectacles in world cricket. We draw experience from hosting three ICC Cricket World Cups and are ready to make the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 one of the most memorable events.

“Our preparations are in full swing, and BCCI and ICC is working together to make it a lifetime experience for the players and the fans. India is a vibrant country – young, full of colour, energy and exuberance – and is very much like the concept of Twenty20 cricket itself. We would encourage everyone involved with the game to experience the best of India.”

The ICC World Twenty20 trophy was also present at the ceremony before it leaves Mumbai for Scotland on Sunday, 13 December, as part of the Nissan Trophy Tour. The trophy will return to New Delhi on 1 February after visiting 11 countries.

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