The unsung (and reluctant) ‘saviours’ of franchise cricket

South African cricket and its supporters can bemoan the struggles of the Proteas, who were thoroughly outplayed by India in their Test series, but the reality is that a national team is only as strong as its pipeline.

Once lauded for being a decent breeding ground for international players, the franchise system is under increasing stress.

Kolpak defections, the lure of T20 freelancing, the balancing act of adhering to Cricket South Africa’s transformation targets and harsh financial realities have all contributed to depth being eroded.

The governing body’s controversial domestic restructuring, which is apparently designed to cut costs, adds further uncertainty, with the South African Cricketers Association arguing it’s placing the livelihoods of 70 players at risk.

As a result, there simply hasn’t been a more appropriate time for franchise cricket to desperately cling on to experienced veterans, who can mentor rookies and, crucially, keep the system competitive.

Over the past two weeks, two men have seemingly embraced that role following the start of the four-day Franchise series.

Farhaan Behardien has shed his pigeonholing as a limited overs player to rattle off scores of 140 and 114 in his first two matches for the Titans this season, while Knights captain Pite van Biljon has been even more prolific with scores of 35, 95 and 218.

How do these two men feel about being anointed as custodians of keeping franchise cricket (relatively) strong? Their views are surprisingly contrasting.

BEHARDIEN – THE ‘EMBRACER’ 

The 36-year-old Titans stalwart is first to admit that his mind was a bit “cluttered” last season.

“I was trying so hard to get into the World Cup squad,” he said.

“I thought I was there or thereabouts, that I had something to offer, but when I was the only guy on tour in Australia who did not play a match in the ODI series then I was resigned to the fact that my international career was over.”

That disappointment saw something click for the middle-order stroke-maker, who’s played 59 ODIs.

He still admits to loving the white-ball formats, but a first-class average of over 41 certainly suggests a player more than proficient in all forms.

That versatility is something he wants the men around him to embrace too.

“As a senior player I definitely feel a responsibility towards making sure four-day cricket is strong, guys like myself, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Pite van Biljon, Shaun von Berg, Jon-Jon Smuts, Andrew Birch, are very vital to have in the system, to nurture the youngsters, just in terms of strategy, game awareness and mental toughness,” said Behardien.

“Especially with all the uncertainty surrounding South African cricket at the moment … if we go to 12 teams it worries me that there will be fewer senior players in each team. I just hope the middle tier of players steps up.”

Refreshingly, the former Westerford pupil is prioritising the Centurion-based franchise despite certainly forging a reputation as a fine T20 exponent.

“Playing for the Titans definitely still drives me, I want to make the franchise the best in the country because they gave me my first contract. I’m very proud to represent them and that keeps me motivated, as well as ushering in the new generation. In some ways I’m the last one standing and you just want to teach them a style of play.”

VAN BILJON – THE RELUCTANT LEADER

Pite van Biljon of VKB Knights during the Momentum One-Day Cup match between Warriors and VKB Knights at Buffalo Park on March 15, 2019 in East London, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images)

Given that he only made his franchise debut as a 27-year-old, it’s understandable that the 33-year-old Knights skipper doesn’t – or perhaps more accurately, doesn’t want to – view himself as an altruistic elder statesman.

Instead, Van Biljon, a Grey College product who went to Tuks and played amateur cricket for Northerns and Eastern Province before returning to Bloemfontein, candidly admits that he wants to keep up with the talented rookies, guys like Raynard ‘Razor’ van Tonder (21), Keegan Petersen (26) and Andries Gouws (25).

“When I get to training or rock up for a game, my aim isn’t really to be a mentor,” he said with a chuckle.

“I go out and make the resolution that I want to match the efforts of my younger teammates. In my mind, it’s still a bit of a competition. I use the rookies to drive me.”

Van Biljon readily admits he was “a guy who took a bit longer to find out about his game”.

“You get guys like AB de Villiers who’s just outstanding from the outset. My game required me to come back to Bloem and my coach at Free State to tell me ‘Boy, this how we’re going to get you to score runs’.

“I’ve been doing reasonably well over the past few seasons, but I’m only really now feeling I might be reaching my potential.”

His 218 last week against the Dolphins is the highest score of his first-class career, reinforcing his view that he’s now one of franchise cricket’s best batsmen.

There’s definitely no quibbling over a career average in excess of 44.

Without stating so explicitly, Van Biljon admits that the current uncertainty in the national setup provides him with hope of an unlikely call-up.

“Hey, as long as I can maybe sway the selectors, I’ll give it my best shot. But it’s up to them,” he said.

“I think guys like Farhaan have embraced being senior players and he’s done brilliantly. Yet I still feel I need to look after myself first. I try to keep it simple. If I perform at my best, I serve myself and I serve my team. Keeping franchise cricket competitive is not something just one or two players can do.”

(With additional reporting from Ken Borland)

For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.