Every weekend for 16 weeks we are engulfed by the intense action of Super 14 rugby. Franchises from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand compete in the most enthralling non-international rugby tournament in the world. The competition is fierce as the best of the best from the southern hemisphere are pitted against each other. The gap between provincial rugby and international rugby has been reduced due to this exciting competition and this gives greater satisfaction for the paying spectator as well as sponsors.
If Super 14 is the level between provincial rugby and international rugby, what would be the equivalent for cricket?
We have franchise cricket that is certainly a higher step than provincial-amateur cricket, but the gap between the national team and franchise players is still too great because there is still not enough exposure for the local players at a higher level like the rugby players have.
All six franchises from SA as well as the 6 teams from Australia and the 6 teams from New Zealand would be too complicated and allow for the tournament to lag on. The key would be to have combined teams pitted against each other.
It would look like this: South Africa would field Coastal XI and Interior XI. Australia would field a Western, Southern and Eastern (including Tasmania)team. New Zealand would have North and South Island teams. Zimbabwe would send a Select XI like they did with the MTN Domestic Championships. Add Namibia and Kenya to the mix and you have a Super 10, 45-over tournament.
I would go for the idea of a round-robin rather than 2 groups of 5. There’s the question of travel. Week 1 would see all the Australasian teams coming to Africa and playing all their African-away matches. The next week the Australasian teams would return home and the African teams would accompany them and then those fixtures being completed. Then, the 3rd week will have the Australasian teams playing each other and the African teams playing each other. The final week will be semi-final and final week.
If domestic fixtures are arranged correctly between all nations, this tournament can fill the month of April.
Coastal Giants
- Graeme Smith(c)
- Herschelle Gibbs
- Jacques Kallis
- JP Duminy
- Arno Jacobs
- Mark Boucher(wk)
- Vernon Philander
- Johan Botha
- Johann Louw
- Charl Langeveldt
- Yusuf Abdullah
Coach: Kepler Wessels
Interior Tigers
- Loots Bosman
- Goolam Bodi
- Neil McKenzie(c)
- AB de Villiers
- Morne van Wyk(wk)
- Roelof v/d Merwe
- Albie Morkel
- Ryan McLaren
- Morne Morkel
- Paul Harris
- Dale Steyn
Coach: Daryll Cullinan
Tags: coastal, cricket, franchise, interior, kenya, namibia, southern, super 14, zimbabwe
April 28, 2008 at 7:08 pm
What is your opinion on IPL?
April 28, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I think IPL is an excellent event and I follow it closely, but I feel that it takes the pride out of representing your province, state, franchise or country. There is no pride in playing for the Mumbai Indians or the Chennai Super Kings, but there is pride when you play for East Zone or Victoria or Warwickshire or the Dolphins.
I think that IPL, while an excellent money-making tool for all involved, will kill the “game of cricket”. Test cricket is real cricket, and if that’s abolished or put second to IPL and other T20 cricket, then cricket is the loser.