After earlier this month rescinding its decision to amalgamate the six franchises and thirteen provinces into twelve professional teams, Cricket South Africa (CSA) this week announced a new domestic playing structure for franchise and provincial cricket for the 2020/21 season.  In essence, the 2020/21 season will have the same number of teams but fewer matches. In a press release that accompanied the announcement, CSA said that there were five primary objectives with the restructuring.  Two of these objectives were the reduction of competition costs and providing “meaningful and commercially attractive content for franchises and provinces”.  It is unfortunate, however, that the lifting of the standards of domestic cricket was not one of these objectives. Cost-saving and other financial austerity measures were inevitable after the rampant squandering of CSA’s resources during the Moroe-era.  Something had to be done.  Curtailing first-class cricket will save costs, but whether it is the best thing… Continue reading