26 Established 1961 Sports Tuesday, October 15, 2019 Cricket South Africa urges supporters to be patient after two heavy defeats Young SA team would reward their supporters with improved performances JOHANNESBURG: South African cricket officials Steyn who between them played nearly 450 Test yesterday urged the country’s supporters to be matches for the Proteas,” said Moroe. patient with their struggling Test side after two heavy “You don’t replace that kind of experience overnight defeats in India. and we need to give a new generation time to settle.” The Proteas, rebuilding after the retirement of sever- al senior players, were outplayed in every aspect of ‘EXCITING TIMES’ both Tests so far. Moroe said he was confident that a young South India clinched the three-match series when they won African team would reward their supporters with the second Test in Pune by an innings and 137 runs on improved performances during a home series against Sunday. It followed an equally punishing 203-run win in England in December and January. the first Test in Visakhapatnam. “These are exciting times for South African cricket “It was always going to be a difficult challenge tak- with new names and faces coming to the fore. ing on the top team in the world — certainly under “Our talent pipeline has produced the likes of Aiden their own conditions — at a time when we have intro- Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Zubayr duced a new team structure,” said Cricket South Africa Hamza over the last few years and our development chief executive Thabang Moroe. systems are clearly in good shape,” he said. CSA fired previous coach Ottis Gibson and the Van Zyl said supporters needed to appreciate the selection panel following a poor World Cup cam- quality of an Indian team which has won 11 consecutive paign earlier this year and introduced a new struc- home series. ture, to be headed by a team director who would be “This is an Indian team that has been together for responsible for all team matters who would report to some time now and is well accustomed to playing in a director of cricket. their home conditions,” said Van Zyl. Enoch Nkwe, a former player with a modest first- “I strongly believe we have the players to win games class career and a single, successful season as a fran- and the youngsters will come right.” chise coach, was appointed to the team director role in Former Test batsman and current Cape Cobras fran- PUNE: File photo shows South Africa team captain Faf du Plessis (L) interacts with teammates during the first day an interim capacity, while former international player chise coach Ashwell Prince responded to widespread of the second Test cricket match between India and South Africa at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Corrie van Zyl was appointed acting director of cricket criticism of the team on Twitter by pointing out the dif- Pune on October 10, 2019. — AFP and interim convener of selectors. ficulties of coping with conditions away from home. Moroe also pointed to the number of top players “I know we didn’t play well and it seems all doom who played a big role in making South Africa one of the and gloom,” Prince said on Twitter. ting line-ups that included the likes of ous issues” in South African cricket that needed to be top sides in the world. “However, I do feel that people don’t really appreci- (Virender)Sehwag, (Rahul) Dravid, (Sachin)Tendulkar, resolved. “In the past two years we have had to bid farewell to ate how tough it is to win away series especially in con- (VVS) Laxman, (Sourav) Ganguly, (MS) Dhoni, have “Get the right people on the bus, the wrong people some of the great names of international cricket such as ditions that’s foreign to your own. never won a series in SA.” off the bus, and the right people in the right seats on da AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Morne Morkel and Dale “India for example, despite touring SA with bat- But Prince added cryptically that there were “seri- bus,” tweeted Prince. — AFP opener retired from Test cricket in 2008 having accu- He had only five dismissals to his name during the test Ex-India skipper mulated 7,212 runs. ‘Superman’ Saha but his impact was hailed by his team mates and drew Last month, he was re-elected president of the instant praise from Twitter users, who dubbed him Cricket Association of Bengal. Brijesh Patel, a former “Superman Saha”. “It’s a no-brainer to say that Saha is Ganguly poised India batsman and experienced administrator, is set to silences doubters one of the best going around, and I’ve hardly seen him become chairman of the Indian Premier League, the miss anything,” Ashwin told reporters after the third to become board’s lucrative Twenty20 competition. with superior day’s play on Saturday. Jay Shah, son of India’s home minister Amit Shah, is Saha cemented his place in the longest format of the cricket board chief tipped for the secretary’s post. Cricket’s massive popu- game in early 2015 after serving as the incumbent to India larity in India has helped the BCCI become the wealthi- glovework captain and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. est of all of the sport’s national boards, raking in large However, India’s first-choice glovesman suffered a ham- sums of money from sponsorship and TV deals. string injury during a Cape Town test in January last year MUMBAI: Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is MUMBAI: Wriddhiman Saha’s return to the Indian Test and subsequently found himself out of the side for 18 But it has also been embroiled in legal battles and a poised to take over as the president of the country’s side after a long injury-forced absence raised more than months after going through shoulder and finger problems. series of scandals, including accusations of corruption cricket board as nominations closed yesterday for elec- a few eyebrows but the wicketkeeper has silenced the He was included in India’s test squad for their two- and match-fixing in the IPL. Ganguly said his priority tions to the sport’s wealthiest and most powerful body. doubters with his superlative glovework in the ongoing match series against West Indies recently but struggled Ganguly, 47, was the only candidate to file his nomi- as president would be to polish BCCI’s image. home series against South Africa. to find a way to displace young stumper-batsman nation for the top post after being unanimously chosen “I’m happy... as it’s a very important time in Indian A wicketkeeper rarely earns kudos purely for his Rishabh Pant. After stepping in to fill the gap left by as the presidential candidate at a meeting of the Board cricket administration because of what has happened in glovework but Saha enjoyed that rare acclaim during the Saha, the 22-year-old Pant scored centuries in England of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members in the last three years,” Ganguly told reporters after filing second test against South Africa at Pune. While India and Australia, prompting calls for India to invest in him Mumbai on Sunday. his nomination. “To be in a position where I can make a captain Virat Kohli received the man-of-the-match given his age and better returns with the bat. One of the most successful national captains in the difference is extremely satisfying... We have a lot of award for his career-best knock of 254, and fast bowler But Saha’s experience and superior glovework while sport, Ganguly is set to be elected unopposed when things to do, hope we can put the house in order.” Umesh Yadav and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin keeping on spin-friendly wickets at home finally worked BCCI elections are held on October 23. Yesterday was India, the world’s top-ranked Test team, is currently picked up six wickets apiece, Saha did not even get a in his favour as he got the nod ahead of Pant for the the last day for filing nominations. The left-handed playing a home Test series against South Africa. — AFP chance to bat. three tests against the visiting Proteas. — Reuters Fawzia Sultan Healthcare to hold ninth edition of RunKuwait charity race KUWAIT: Fawzia Sultan family members who can join a Healthcare Network (FSHN), a non- 5KM or 10KM run or walk. The profit multidisciplinary healthcare event’s race village will host differ- provider, is pleased to announce ent warm-up exercises, activities the return of its annual charity for children and exciting activities sporting event, RunKuwait, in its for family members and friends who ninth edition. will join the event to cheer for the The event, which will be held on participants. November 23rd, invites interested RunKuwait is supported by gen- participants and RunKuwait return- erous contributions from the fol- ing friends to register for the race lowing sponsors: Agility as a and contribute to improving the Founding Partner, INTERSPORT lives of children with special needs. and ASAR Legal as Gold sponsors, RunKuwait is a charitable initia- and EQUATE as Silver sponsor. tive aiming to raise awareness and The media sponsors for the funds towards the rehabilitative RunKuwait initiative this year are treatment of vulnerable children Alanba newspaper, Alrai newspa- with special needs. Since 2013, all per, Alseyassah newspaper, Arab registration proceeds are chan- Times newspaper, Kuwait Times neled directly towards the non- newspaper, bazaar magazine, The profit Children’s Evaluation and talk magazine, Alhadaf magazine, Rehabilitation Center (CERC), M2R company and 248am as a founded by FSHN.