Despite having previously been plagued by the myriad off-field problems of the home game, Dean Elgar believes that Cricket South Africa (CSA) is finally on relatively solid footing.
When asked about the state of affairs, particularly since CSA launched SA20, the Proteas Test patron definitely gave his best to the local Australian media by speaking optimistically about men in offices and boardrooms. .
“For the first time [CSA] it is actually at its most stable. Obviously we’ve had a lot of changes regarding administrators,” Elgar said Monday.
“For us as players, those things can’t stop us from acting. We’ve almost gotten used to those bad headlines.”
Elgar’s sentiments certainly can’t be construed as a bit of a spin by critics of the sport, as, interestingly enough, the latest World Men’s Employment Report 2022 from the Federation of International Cricketers Association ( FICA) vindicates his point of view.
In the survey analysis of South Africa, it was found that players are generally positive about the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with CSA, the agreement that stipulates the relationship between the two parties.
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“Although relations between CSA and the South African Cricketers Association (SACA) have recently improved at an operational level, the relationship has faced significant strain in recent years,” the report states.
“A new memorandum of understanding is currently being negotiated between CSA and SACA, which will enable the latter to continue to provide members with services related to player learning, hardship and financial support.”
Following the team’s departure for Australia last week, Elgar specifically credited Enoch Nkwe, CSA director of cricket, for “having cricket at heart” for some of the strategic decisions he made in a tenure that is only a few months old.
But it’s not just former assistant head coach Mark Boucher who is stepping up.
“Things are stabilizing pretty well for now, we have a new CEO and board of directors who are making good cricket decisions. We have a new cricket director who is really focusing on the Proteas brand,” Elgar said.
“Those little things are out of our control as players. We just do what we can to get results on the field. That’s our currency.”
