T20 League has gone with Lorgat

What really happened to the grandiose plan to launch South Africa’s answer to cricket’s successful Indian Premier League?

That’s the question hanging in the air following the hasty parting of ways between Cricket South Africa (CSA) and its chief executive, Haroon Lorgat.

Lorgat was the driving force behind the proposed T20 Global League, which was to have kicked off next month, but which has now been postponed until November next year, if it even goes ahead at all.

CSA’s acting chief executive, Thabang Moroe, has been left holding the ball. And he’s trying to muster some sort of damage control. He said the board of CSA had taken its trust and “placed it in the hands of a few individuals” who were arranging the big tournament.

Yet, those individuals – who presumably included Lorgat – didn’t provide enough information for the board to be “comfortable” with continuing.

So, why then was the initial hoopla allowed to happen, especially if CSA had grave concerns about the financial implications?

CSA needs to explain and there needs to be a thorough investigation into all aspects of this tacky affair. Even though cricket is not part of the corporate sector, per se, the rules of corporate governance surely still apply…