- Cricket South Africa’s launch of 3 Team Cricket as a way for competitive action to return has been met with intrigue, but there are various questions over the finer details.
- Graeme Smith, national director of cricket, noted that it was ‘interesting’ to assemble the group of 24 players for the three teams.
- The federation also provided assurances that government had given the event the green light despite SuperSport Park in Centurion residing in a Covid-19 hotspot area.
The return of competitive cricket in South Africa will be in the form of a wholly new format of the game: 3 Team Cricket or 3TC.
Announced by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Wednesday, the Solidarity Cup will take place at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Saturday, 27 June and will feature three teams of eight players each playing one match of two halves.
The various stakeholders in this venture reiterated numerous times that the immediate aim is to provide a platform for the local professional game to get going again within the parameters of government’s current lockdown, while also establishing a “Hardship Fund” to assist the local cricket community.
The Solidarity Fund is also involved in using the event as a platform to increase its footprint, especially in the campaign of encouraging South Africans to change their behaviour in dealing with Covid19.
Yet even though the philosophy behind Solidarity Cup and 3TC is reasonably sound, there are many questions over the finer details.
Here’s everything you need to know:
What are the rules of 3TC?
Three teams, with eight members each, compete in ONE match of 36 overs.
Those 36 overs are divided into two halves of 18 overs.
All three teams will have an innings of 12 overs, six in each half.
A team bowls six overs at each of the two other teams.
When the seventh wicket of a team’s innings falls, the final batsman will bat out for the rest of the innings and can only score in twos, fours and sixes.
Bowlers are allowed a maximum of three overs at either opponents.
But what is the final outcome of the game?
It’s nothing more than scoring the most runs at the end of the 36 overs.
Cricket already has so many formats already – even T10! Does it need another one?
Mark Nicholas, prominent cricket commentator and a major role player in 3TC, admits the experimental format is not a “silver bullet”, but it can be one that increases grassroots interest in the game.
“I and others have long searched for a format that involves young people and doesn’t leave an outsider struggling down at third man, wondering what he’s doing there,” he said.
“We searched for a game that embraces all of its players in crucial roles so that they feel that they need to develop all the thinking and character skills that make cricket so special. It’s a perfect game for kids and for clubs who don’t have the resources to put out full 11-man teams in different leagues.”
Consequently, Nicholas isn’t worried about questions over the wisdom of developing yet another format.
“We do believe we can breathe life into the middle form of the game. There are wider opportunities for this format. This about an idea that might inspire and entertain in a different way. We truly believe that all formats of the game work and they’ve done so for years. All of them endure and provide interest.
“If we can unlock this form for a younger audience, we can inspire them to unlock all the joys of the game.”
Who will the three teams be?
The Eagles will be captained by AB de Villiers, the Kingfishers by Kagiso Rabada and the Kites by Quinton de Kock.
How will the squads look?
Eagles: AB de Villiers, Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Andile Phehlukwayo, Sisanda Magala, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi.
Kingfishers: Kagiso Rabada, Reeza Hendricks, Janneman Malan, Faf du Plessis, Heinrich Klaasen, Chris Morris, Glenton Stuurman, Tabraiz Shamsi.
Kites: Quinton de Kock, Temba Bavuma, Jon-Jon Smuts, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje.
But how did CSA decide on these groups?
Graeme Smith, CSA’s director of cricket, revealed that it was actually a comprehensive and consultative process.
“It was an internal decision between Mark (Boucher), myself and the transformation committee. Everyone’s been involved in it,” he said.
“It’s been interesting to select teams for a new format. You’ve obviously tried to make them as balanced as possible and equally competitive. You want to put the best teams on the field.”
Current lockdown regulations allow for professional cricket matches to take place again behind closed doors, but not in government-identified hotspot areas. SuperSport Park is situated in one of them. Is that a problem?
CSA insists it’s been in constant communication with the sports ministry and praised it for its productive engagement.
It’s unlikely that the federation would’ve announced the event if it wasn’t at least 95% sure it would be able to take place.
Smith noted that CSA had submitted no less than two return-to-play protocols to government and had already secured permits for some of the players to travel over provincial borders.
“We’ve done extensive work and presented our plans, from hotels, to grounds, to zoning. Everything has been handled,” he said.
“We’ve been cleared to host the event.”
Will there be follow-up events if the inuagural one proves successful?
There are plans in place to investigate 3TC’s viability for schools and how it can fit into calendars.
Smith noted there would be a debriefing at the conclusion of the event, while Nicholas also said that rules for a 90-over version of the format have already been developed.
That would involved a full compliment of 11 players in each team, but currently that would have to be implemented at a later stage due to current social distancing requirements.
– Compiled by Heinz Schenk
