SA eyes are smiling at Irish appointment

Times Media

TELFORD VICE, Johannesburg

It isn’t often that SA’s players will be inspired to perform by the appointment of some suit to a powerful position.

But Tony Irish is no ordinary suit, and his unveiling on Friday as the executive chairperson of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) should have done do wonders for SA’s morale as they left for Sri Lanka on Sunday.

Since 2002, Irish has been fighting the good fight for the country’s players as chief executive of the SA Cricketers’ Association (SACA). He is trusted and popular among his constituency, and a committed and passionate campaigner for their interests. Happily for them, Irish’s new job will not mean he has to give up his SACA position.

Irish has ascended to the leadership of what amounts to a trade union for the world’s cricketers at an important juncture in the game’s history.

“The cricket landscape is an evolving one, with challenges and opportunities on many fronts,” Irish was quoted as saying in a FICA release. “Now, more than ever, it is critical that the voice of the players is heard. FICA is committed to contributing effectively to the game.

“The confirmation of FICA’s guiding principles – which include good governance, strong representation, and integrity - helps underline what we stand for, and the imminent assembly of a player advisory group is intended to ensure that the crucial viewpoint of those that play our game remains paramount.”

SA’s tour to Sri Lanka will be their first venture since the International Cricket Council’s rubber-stamping of the new pecking order in the world game.

As much as SA’s players won’t want to acknowledge that the carving up of cricket into the “Big Three” - India, England and Australia - and the “Small Seven” - the rest of the test-playing countries - bothers them, it must.

Having recently been feted as the No. 1 ranked test team, SA are now, officially, second-class cricket citizens. It is a cruel reality that they had better get used to before the first one-day international in Colombo next Sunday. Two more ODIs will be followed by two tests.

Having been smashed 4-1 in a one-day series in Sri Lanka last July and having not won a test series on the Asian island since 1993, SA have plenty to prove to themselves, their supporters, and their opponents.

But even if the Proteas never lose again, Cricket SA will not be able to enter the pantheon reserved for the “Big Three”. Another cruel reality is that big cricket is about money, not cricket.

As for the cricket, the immediate focus will be on SA to play a more decisive brand of the one-day stuff what with a World Cup just seven months away.

In the past year, SA have won eight of their 13 completed ODIs. But they have shown little consistency and even less evidence that they are playing to a plan that is recognisably South African. The latter may be no bad thing in a cricket culture that can be too rigid for its own good. However, when SA lose that makes it easier to point fingers.

Which brings us to Russell Domingo, a fine son of the Eastern Cape and SA’s coach. Domingo has taken flak for SA’s indifferent performances, which is fair to some extent, and for backing up his arguments with statistics, which is patently unfair.

Like Irish, Domingo has also been fighting the good fight for years - first as Gary Kirsten’s assistant, now as the man with whom the buck stops. But, unlike Irish, Domingo has yet to be given the credit he has earned.