Durban – There has been a great deal of speculation about the reasons for Hashim Amla’s bombshell announcement this week, but unless the man decides to unburden himself publicly – and this is highly unlikely – we may never know why the jewel in the Dolphins’ crown decided to quit his cricketing home after 13 years of outstanding service.
What the franchise and the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union can do, however, is take his departure as an invitation to conduct some serious self-analysis. Those who think this is unnecessary are profoundly deluded.
“The franchises around the country are laughing at us,” a former president told me gloomily this week. None more so than the Cape Cobras, who have gratefully received the Dolphins’ most precious gift with open arms.
“We regret any breakdown that may have occurred there, but we now welcome Hashim with open arms and trust he will grow further as a person and player with us,” said the chairman of Western Cape Cricket, Beresford Williams, with barely concealed satisfaction.
How humiliating those words must sound to all lovers of our provincial cricket, whether they choose to call the team of their choice Natal or the Dolphins.
It might be asked what is the difference between Dale Steyn moving from the Titans to the Cobras and Amla moving in the same direction.
First, Steyn was not born in Pretoria; his old franchise remained strong, successful and united, and he was simply moving because he wanted to live in Cape Town.
Amla, on the other hand, has deep roots in the Durban area. All his immediate and extended family come from here. Furthermore, he bought a house in Umhlanga only last year.
In his statement, Amla emphasised that the decision was a “difficult” one, in part because he had always considered himself a “Durban boy”.
He also paid tribute to the “tremendous support of the fans”, something he would always “cherish”.
What, you might ask, was his problem? He is not saying – beyond an anodyne assertion from his agent that he is “pursuing business interests” in Cape Town.
Surely he can do that without moving there?
The loss of Amla is essentially a symbolic one, but is no less important for that. He is a man whose moral and professional stature is as close to impeccable as it is possible to get in an imperfect world.
While he continues to excel on the international stage he will play little domestic cricket. However, his brand value to the Dolphins has always been great, the more so since the team’s performances have wilted. Not surprisingly, the Cobras realised immediately that Amla’s aura would be of great value to them.
The people who should motivate the process of self-analysis in their different capacities are the chairman of KZN Cricket, Graham Abrahams, the chief executive of the union, Jesse Chellan, the president of the union, Faeez Jaffer, and the coach and captain of the Dolphins, Lance Klusener and Daryn Smit.
What the Dolphins so desperately need is for all their stakeholders to pull together to improve the team on the field and the administration off it.
From a cricketing point of view, the Dolphins have won no silverware since 2004/5 and 2005/6 when they shared two SuperSport Series trophies with the Knights and the Titans. Since then, nothing to smile about and plenty to be concerned over, not least the fact that the former powerhouse of provincial cricket have too often found themselves at the bottom of the log.
Last season, however, four victories on the trot in the first-class Sunfoil Series suggested that perhaps the worm was about to turn.
There was also the rise to prominence of Kyle Abbott, whose spectacular Test debut against Pakistan showed just what could be achieved by hard work, intense desire and skill.
This winter’s training programme – the players return for fitness tests on May 14 – must underline to the squad that the time for excuses (the team being in transition, for example) is now over. It’s time to start seriously competing for silverware again.
From an official point of view, the reaction to Amla’s departure has been disappointing. A request for an interview with Abrahams wasn’t even acknowledged, while the union released a bland media release wishing Amla well and thanking him for past services.
It is this lack of transparency, of straight talking, that provides a breeding ground for speculation, some of it mischievous. None of this is healthy for the union, or the team.
Aside from the recent poor results on the field, there has been a history of poor administration off it.
The old culture of administrators “giving back” in the interests of the game, not needing status or payment, has long been replaced by one of administrators craving the limelight as well as rewards for their services. The old adage of “serving the game” has been replaced by the new ethic of “how can the game serve me?”
It is a national problem, pinpointed on Tuesday by the distinguished human rights lawyer George Bizos, who contrasted those who used their positions for personal gain and self-aggrandisement and those who saw the need to “work together with a common purpose, to do our job, and to ensure both individually and collectively that we bind ourselves to our just laws”.
For too long, a significant number – not all – of the union’s administrators have taken their eye off the ball and allowed their petty rivalries, power struggles and disputes to determine the way in which they go about their business.
The coming elections in August ought to focus all cricket-loving people’s minds in this province on what kind of administration they want, and what kind of people they want representing them in the Kingsmead corridors of power.
One thing is for sure, time is running out. – The Mercury