I was uber chuffed when an email popped up in my in-box from Vincent Hofmann inviting me to the SA Cricket Awards Gala Dinner. As a blogger I don’t often get invited to official events and it’s very difficult for me to get access to the players. Vincent and I were accompanied by Mike Stopforth for the evening festivities.

It’s fantastic to see a sports organization like Cricket South Africa embracing social media, their #CSAawards campaign on Twitter was a creative value add to the evening, and it showed how social media can compliment a live event. When writing this article I counted that there were 1024 tweets with the #CSAawards hashtag, which is an awesome level of interaction. CSA has encouraged the players to join Twitter which is a great step forward in giving their fans access to the players on an individual bases.

The various sponsors of the event also made use of social media to cover the event, Standard Bank, Cricket South Africa and KFC Fangaea we’re all tweeting like crazy and posting Twitpics in an effort to include the general public. They even had the presenter Ryan O’Connor reading out tweets from an iPad!

Cricket South Africa have a great Facebook page another sign of the integration of Cricket and social media, now if only we could find more cricket bloggers….

Mark Boucher, me, Graeme Smith and Roelof van der Merwe at the CSA Awards

I’m sure you’re aware by now that the CSA Awards were held last night, where Hashim Amla was named SA Cricket player of the year 2010. I was fortunate enough to attend the event and rub shoulders with the players, administrators and the rest of the SA Cricket fraternity.

A few days ago I made some predictions as to who would win in a few of the categories; so the results are in:

I only managed to predict three out of six correctly, seems I’ll need a bit more time before I’m asked to be an awards judge. More impressive was the five out of six for Hashim Amla, Amla won the awards for SA Cricketer of the Year, Test Cricketer of the Year, SA Players’ Player, CSA Fans’ Cricketer of the Year and the KFC “So Good!” Award. Amla has had a stellar season, his 253* against India was one of the memorable innings of the year to go with a Test average of 65.92 runs in the year, there was no other player close to him.

The Awards evening was a lavish affair put on by Cricket South Africa in celebration of the feats of our domestic and national players. The most impressive part of the evening we’re the ladies that these cricket boys have!

AWARD WINNERS

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: OPERATIONS

CSA Coach of the Year: Russell Domingo
CSA Groundsman of the Year: Louis Kruger
CSA Scorers’ Association of the Year: Gauteng
CSA Umpire of the Year: Marais Erasmus

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: DOMESTIC

MTN40 Cricketer of the Year: Herschelle Gibbs
Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Colin Ingram
SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Rilee Rossouw
CSA Fair Play Award: Chevrolet Knights
MTN Domestic Newcomer of the Year: Pumelela Matshikwe
SA Cricketers’ Association MVP Award: Colin Ingram
Domestic Players’ Player of the Year: Colin Ingram

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: SA TEAM

MTN Newcomer of the Year: Ryan McLaren
Standard Bank International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Charl Langeveldt
Standard Bank One-Day International Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers
CSA Test Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla
KFC “So Good!” Award: Hashim Amla
CSA Fans’ Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla
SA Players’ Player of the Year: Hashim Amla
SA Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla

That’s right folks, it’s awards time again for the South African cricket fraternity. Seems that just the other day we were singing the praises of Graeme Smith as he took the award for SA cricket player of the year, mostly for his captaincy during a serious purple patch for SA cricket.

On Tuesday 20^th July Cricket South Africa will name the winner in each category, I figured that since I’m a betting man, I’ll stick my neck out and make my picks.

CSA Umpire of the year: who cares?

MTN40 Cricketer of the year: Tough call, Colin Ingram had a superb season, ending with the most runs in the competition; an average of 60 and a highest score of 125*, which is impressive. Not to be out done, Gibbs also put in a quality performance finishing the MTN40 with the highest average of 70.85 at a strike rate of 119.23 – pure class. This has always been a batsmen’s game, and as a fast bowler myself I’m glad to see a bowler being nominated, Rusty Theron had a stellar season with the ball, he took the most wickets in three games less than second place Tsotsobe. His performance caught the eye of the national selectors and he broke into the T20 squad for the ICC World Twenty20 tournament. My prediction: Rusty Theron.

Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Could a bowler ever win this award? For me it’s between Colin Ingram and Morne van Wyk. My prediction: Morne van Wyk but I would have like to have seen Vaughn van Jaarsveld nominated.

SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Honestly I didn’t watch a single game, or follow the series in the news, it’s a pity – I know. I can’t make a prediction in this category, I’d be guessing.

Standard Bank International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: This is probably the easiest prediction to make. My prediction: Jacques Kallis for the way he has transformed his game to become one of the leading players of T20 cricket, he’s been consistent with the bat and has been doing so at a good strike rate. Kallis has also added variation to the bowling attack, making this an easy decision.

Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year: Easy choice, there have been only three batsmen in the game to have scored three consecutive ODI centuries. AB de Villiers added his name to the list to make it four when he scored 102 against the West Indies in the first ODI of the series. His previous two centuries were against India (114*,102), the other players on the list are Zaheer Abbas (Pak), Saeed Anwar (Pak) and Herschelle Gibbs. My prediction: AB de Villiers

CSA Test Cricketer of the Year: Do I really have to say anything? No I don’t because I’ve said it before. My Predication: Hashim Amla

SA Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla has carried himself with pride and respect over the past few years, he had his doubters at the beginning of his career, but over the past year he really has become one of the best players that South Africa has produced. Amla scored his highest total of 253* against India this year and if circumstances had allowed he would have gone on to set a new record. He scored two ODI centuries in 2010, at an average of 74.71 – and people said that he couldn’t play the ODI game. My prediction: Hashim Amla

The finalists are:

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: DOMESTIC

CSA Umpire of the Year: Johan Cloete, Marais Erasmus, Brian Jerling
MTN40 Cricketer of the Year: Herschelle Gibbs, Colin Ingram, Rusty Theron
Standard Bank Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: Robbie Frylinck, Colin Ingram, Morne van Wyk
SuperSport Series Cricketer of the Year: Vernon Philander, Rilee Rossouw, Thami Tsolekile

PROFESSIONAL AWARDS: SA TEAM

Standard Bank International Pro20 Cricketer of the Year: AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Charl Langeveldt
Standard Bank ODI Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis
CSA Test Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn
SA Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn

It’s been a few days now since the Proteas were knocked out of the ICC World T20, following a string of losses. There’s been a real backlash from the media, fans and past players about the way the Proteas succumbed to the opposition. Let’s be honest we played poor cricket, the leaders in the team did not perform and the strategy seemed to be nonexistent.

That being said, the cracks in our Proteas team are only starting so show. Understand that players will fail, and we will get knocked out of future tournaments, players are human after all. During the hard times, such as the Proteas currently find themselves, a team, and when I say team I mean from Gerald Majola the head of Cricket South Africa, all the way down to the baggage handlers need to unite and stand together, instead we have a diabolical situation unfolding.

Players are covering their asses, administrators and players alike are washing their dirty laundry in public, the cracks are starting to widen….

The national captain is criticizing the stand in selector:

Recently Graeme Smith criticized Kepler Wessels via his Twitter stream saying: “find it amazing that kepler can sit and say should have picked a younger squad when he was 1 of the selectors who chose it! unbelievable!”

link to original tweet : http://twitter.com/GraemeSmith49/status/13988779333

Graeme Smith then went on to have a dig at ex-players, again via his Twitter stream:

“Atleast we own up to playing poorly. but all these so called experts/ex players im not sure I see a winners medal hanging round there necks!”

link to original tweet : http://twitter.com/GraemeSmith49/status/13989111066

Poor form Graeme, you should be setting the example not alienating yourself and the team from past players and administrators. Some of those past players do have a medal handing in their trophy cabinet at home, ask Pat Symcox (@Symmo77)

Then we have our newly appointed coach Corrie van Zyl again talking via the media calling for change, he didn’t go as far as saying we’ll be dropping players, but we can read between the lines:

“I don’t want to come down on individuals, but the time is right for change. We have to sit down and think about what is important to change and which players are the right ones to fit in with that change.

“If we need to make a few hard calls, it will be done. The point is that we cannot continue down this path. “

Source:http://www.supersport.com/cricket/article.aspx?headline=Time%20has%20come%20for%20renewal%20-%20Corrie%20&id=349170

We also have former South African convenor of selectors Omar Henry throwing around the names of players that need to be dropped:

“I would axe Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and even Graeme Smith from the T20 team. I believe we need to build a new side and head in a new direction,” said Henry. “

Source: http://www.supersport.com/cricket/article.aspx?id=349168

How does that help Omar? Really? you would drop the three most experienced players in the squad just like that, how can you make a statement like that from outside the team?

Instead of criticizing players after poor performances, why not manage the players, discuss the possibility of them not being part of T20 cricket, and assist them by getting them into county cricket to keep in form during the off season? In my opinion your premier test players should not be playing T20 cricket, they definitely should not be playing in the IPL.

How can a test player adjust their mind set from T20 to Test cricket, the two disciplines are polar opposites of each other. Have a look at the Australian team, Ponting does not play T20 cricket and India’s Sachin Tendulkar also stays away from international T20’s.

Many administrators and ex-players have commented that we lack aggression specifically amongst our batsmen, but if we look at one of the dominant teams in this ICC World T20, England, you’ll note the names of three South African batsmen, who you would describe as aggressive by nature, Pietersen, Lumb and Kieswetter. Perhaps if the very administrator that are sling mud in the media had done their jobs, those three players would be playing for the Proteas, and maybe just maybe the Proteas would have won a trophy with those players.

We have a new coach, a new convenor of selectors, a new sports psychologist and an assistant coach in Vincent Barnes looking to leave the national setup to take up a coaching position for a domestic team. This is a brand new coaching and management team, relax, clam down and give them a chance.

We’re about to start and ODI and Test series against the West Indies, get behind the team that you love and give them your unconditional support, FOREVER PROTEAS – through the thick and the thin.

I’m a great believer in the abilities of Hashim Amla, I’ve recently written why I think he’ll become the greatest test batsman South Africa has produced. I’ve been following Amla’s performance for Nottinghamshire in the county series this season. To date Amla has played four games, scored 396 runs including 129 on debut for Nottinghamshire. Amla has an average of 79.20, his total includes four half centuries.

During his first game, Hashim Amla got to his half century with out having to have run one run, he scored 13 consecutive boundaries.

That makes for some interesting reading, but if you look up the run leaders table you’ll notice the name of Jacques Rudolph. Playing for Yorkshire, Rudolph has scored 518 runs, at an average of 86.33 including an unbeaten century in a record breaking partnership in the Clydesdale Bank 40.

Jacques Rudolph scored an unbeaten on 228 against Essex this season and is on his way to being Yorkshire’s leading runs scorer again, as he has done for the fourth season running.

So it begs the question, where is Jacques Rudolph? Can the South African selectors continue to ignore him? How can you put Ashwell Prince and his pathetic run of form ahead of Rudolph’s continued and consistent run of form?

If I were Andrew Hudson, my first executive decision would be to include Jacques Rudolph in the Proteas test team.

So it wasn’t so long ago that I predicted that KFC would be taking over from Bakers as the sponsor of mini cricket in South Africa. It would seem that KFC have set their sights on cricket which is great… I wonder how many new cricket fields and pitches the intend to build, or how many coaches they’ll train to better cricket in South Africa?

While you watch this edition of the ICC World T20 you’ll be tempted to order fried chicken, but I think it’s the Australians that are the chickens this time round.

The good news if you haven’t heard is that Zimbabwe beat the Australians by one run in a warm up match, the bad news is that Brett Lee injured himself in the game and will miss the ICC World T20. On the flip side that makes room for Doug Bollinger who was a super star in the IPL this year.

I’ve got an eye on England for the title this year, they’re in a pool with the hosts the West Indies and Ireland, so they should go though easily. The factors that lead me to be weary of the English is that their players are hitting some fine form. Kevin Pietersen started slow in the IPL but came on strong as the tournament grew to a close. Stuart Broad skipped the IPL and chose to take it easy, he’s been ripping it apart in the county series. Watch out for the new comers Craig Kiewetter and Michael Lamb.

India are always a threat, and West Indies are playing at home, The Proteas will have to play meticulous cricket. Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn and Graeme Smith will have to perform as usual, Kallis had a great IPL, Steyn improved as he went along but Smith hasn’t played in a while and is fighting back from injury again…. JP Duminy had a poor IPL, Albie Morkel may as well have stayed at home, he didn’t produce in the IPL either…. Oh and what about AB? when last did this boy perform, it’s time now for the boys to step it up as they play again for their country.

Come boys, we need a trophy!

The South African selectors recently names the squad that will do battle in the ICC World Twenty20 which kicks off at the end of the month.

There are a few changes, firstly Rory Kleinveldt and Juan (a.k.a Rusty) Theron have been included in the squad. I’m particularly happy Kleinveldt has been included, I’ve been saying for a while that he deserves a chance. He’s an unassuming player who has been selected for his ability to bowl with the new ball as well as at the death.

The inclusion of Theron was a no brainer, this man has really stepped up in the recent domestic series and has also secured himself a place with the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL.

They guys missing from the team are the injured Wayne Parnell, who injured his groin while training for the IPL in India. Vaughan van Jaarsveld can consider himself very unlucky not to have made the squad. van Jaarsveld was one of the top scorers in the Standard Bank Pro20 this year, and he did well to help his failing team recover and eventually make it to the final.

I also question the inclusion of Albie Morkel in the squad, Albie has unfortunately proven time and again that he is not up to the task of bowling at the level of international cricket, and he’s not good enough a batsman to be selected as a specialist.

I’m glad to see that the selectors have included many spin bowling options, we’ve seen so far in this years IPL that the slow bowlers are the most effective. We’ll again rely heavily on the performance of these bowlers.

Proteas squad for the ICC World Twenty20:

Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Loots Bosman, Johan Botha, Mark Boucher, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs, Rory Kleinveldt, Charl Langeveldt, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Juan Theron, Roelof van der Merwe

It has been reported that the South African cricket coach Mickey Arthur has resigned from the national team, citing differences with Proteas captain Graeme Smith.

Mickey Arthur has been in charge of the national team since May 2005. Arthur achieve success with the national team, including record breaking test series victories in England and Australia. Under Mickey Arthur the Proteas claimed both the number 1 spots in ODI and Test cricket.

The Proteas will tour to India with Corrie van Zyl as coach, Corrie van Zyl is currently the head of the high performance centre. He recently coached the Diamond Eagles, which included six titles winning each of the domestic competitions twice, the SuperSport Series, MTN Domestic Competition and Standard Bank Pro20. Corrie van Zyl has also been involved in the national team, he was previously the assistant coach of the Proteas between 1998 to 2003 during which time he was involved in two World Cups, 50 Test matches and more than 120 ODIs.

It’s a little late, but rather late than never, here’s my quick wrap of the series. I love my stats so I went through some statistics from the South Africa / England test series and this is what I found:

So over the four test matches South Africa scored more runs and took more wickets than England. I’ll claim that as a victory.

The most exciting yet also the most disappointing aspects of the test series was the South African bowling attack. We’re all too aware how they couldn’t finish off England on two occasions, but the selectors acted, and the tough decisions were made. It’s the re-emergence of Morne Morkel which stands out the most to me. International bowlers are reliant on their bowling partners, and who better to have then the world no1, Dale Steyn. If the selectors keep these two bowlers together for a long time then we’re in for a return to a great pace bowling attack that we had when Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock and more recently Ntini brought to world cricket.

It was great sitting at the wanderers watching South Africa truly dominate England, what a pity we couldn’t take those two wickets, and win the series 3-1 as I believe we deserved.

Below is a picture that I took at The Wanderers on the 3rd day, many people dressed up and were in a festive mood, South Africa’s biggest stadium was sold on the Saturday. To think that Cricket South Africa were going to cancel this test match…….

Joburg cricket fans out at The Wanderers

The Wanderers, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Formerly known as: Kent Park

Capacity: 34 000

End Names: Corlett Drive End, Golf Course End

Home team: Lions

The Wanderers is also known as the Bull Ring, it’s the premier cricket stadium in South Africa holding the biggest capacity. The Wanderers is also the home of Cricket South Africa.

The Wanderers, formerly sponsored by Liberty Life, and now by Bidvest is one of the most intimidating stadiums South African cricket has to offer, not only does it have the biggest capacity, but the Johannesburg crowd love their cricket and their team. The Johannesburg crowd is not afraid to voice their opinions of players fielding on the boundary.

The Wanderers cricket stadium hosted the final of the 2003 cricket world cup final between India and Australia, which Australia won by 125 runs. The stadium also hosted the 438 game on the 12th of March 2006, the One Day International (ODI) between Australia and South Africa broke the record for the highest score in ODI cricket…. twice in one night. In the first inning Ricky Ponting top scored with 164, to see his team set the highest total in ODI cricket, 434. Chasing the highest total ever, the never say die attitude of the Proteas cricket team was put on display by Herschelle Gibbs when he scored 175 runs to win the game by 1 wicket with 1 ball remaining, and by doing so South Africa set the highest total in ODI cricket, 438.

Shaun Pollock and Makhaya Ntini share the title for most wickets taken at The Wanderers, with 53 each. Polly has a slightly better economy rate of 2.44. Jacques Kallis holds the record for most runs at the ground on 994, which includes two centuries, four half-centuries with a highest score of 186 against New Zealand.