SA cricket escaped ‘an apocalypse’, says interim board

Cricket in South Africa was facing an apocalyptic scenario which the acceptance of an independent majority board has now averted, Stavros Nicolaou, the chairman of the interim board, said on Friday.

The details of that new board, to be elected at the AGM to be held no later than June 12, were revealed by Nicolaou at a joint briefing with Minister of Sport Nathi Mthethwa and the Cricket South Africs members council at the CSA offices on Friday.

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The new board will comprise 15 directors for the next three years, after which it will be reduced to 13 directors.

The 15-strong board will be made up of eight independent and five non-independent directors, as well as two CSA executives – the CEO and the chief financial officer.

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The eight independent directors will be nominated by a six-strong panel comprising representatives from the Institute of Directors, SAICA, the Legal Practices Council, a CSA members council nominee, a SACA nominee with previous international cricket experience, and the former CSA presidents have also appointed a representative. Applications for independent directors will begin afresh and close on May 10.

“Cricket was at the edge of the cliff. We were millimetres away, not even centimetres. And it was a very steep cliff and not an easy climb back up, almost an apocalyptic scenario,” Nicolaou said.

“Sponsors and staff were getting nervous, the country at large too. Cricket needs certainty and predictability. That’s what the players want too. The new MoI is a world-class document and a source of great pride.”

Cricket SA interim board chairman Stavros Nicolaou. Picture: Gallo Images

While Mthethwa tried to portray his relationship with the members council as being vaguely affectionate, he made clear how strongly he disapproved of their leadership of the game, while also firing another warning shot at governing body Sascoc not to get involved again.

“This six-month process was all about staying with the status quo or transforming, and we made it clear we wanted transformation, nothing else,” Nicolaou said.

“It was a matter of life and death for cricket and those who think they can stand against this process must think again. We need to create a space in which sponsors can be comfortable so they can support sport.

“There is no way this process is going back and it sets a good precedent, not a bad one,” Mthethwa said.

“Government is reluctant to get into the fray. We try to stay at arm’s length from our sporting codes and we believed CSA itself should be able to resolve its issues.

“But they made it worse and cricket was going down the drain. Sport being run by sport people, what has it brought?”