by Abhai Sawkar Season by season, the South African domestic structure has a track record of producing a multitude of talent, whether it be young or slightly more on the experienced side. Many of the entrants in provincial or franchise cricket have played the game either at school or university level, or in other cases, featured for the national Under-19 side. Ryan Bailey started off his career in 2003 for his home provincial team, North West, following a stint in the U19 World Cup for South Africa the previous year. Cricket was a passion since a very young age. “I was forced to grow up very quickly as I was a 17-year-old boy, playing with and against older and more experienced players like Ashwell Prince and Nicky Boje, for example,” recalls Bailey. “My dad inspired me to play the game, as Saturdays were spent next to the field from an early age.” However, his first franchise team was the Diamond Eagles (now known as the Knights), based in Free State. His nine-year stint with the Eagles included a trip to India to play the now-defunct Champions League T20, a tournament that involves the winning domestic teams from T20 leagues from all over the world. “My fondest memory [with the Eagles] was qualifying for the Champions League [back in 2009],” added Bailey. The Eagles’ campaign in the tournament may not have gone as planned, but the experience overall proved to be one to savor for Bailey. Bailey remained a loyal member of the Knights side, as a solid middle-order batsman who could bowl part-time medium pace when necessary. Just prior to the 2013-14 season, Bailey would have to relocate to Eastern Cape, to join up with his second franchise, the Chevrolet Warriors, which included the likes of current and former Proteas international such as Colin Ingram, Ashwell Prince, and Wayne Parnell, to name a few. By the time he switched domestic teams, Bailey had close to 100 games in both first-class and 50-over cricket as prior experience. He may not have been considered a player of international quality by the Proteas selectors, but his tireless efforts would continue for another couple of seasons. During his final season for the Warriors, he had shifted out of T20 plans, but remained an integral part of the side in the other two formats. He had to wait until the end of both the 2015 Momentum One Day Cup and the 2014-15 Sunfoil Series to earn game time. At 33, age wasn’t exactly on his side, plus inconsistent form didn’t make him a certainty in the Warriors starting XIs, due to the incoming young talent. At the end of the season, Bailey chose to retire from playing, but the passion remained very much intact. In April 2016, a little over a year after Bailey’s final first-class match, the Stellenbosch University club team, Maties, recruited him as a coaching consultant. With the wealth of experience from over almost a decade and a half of professional cricket, Bailey felt it was time to give back to the community and nurture some of the up-and-coming youngsters from school level. Not only has Bailey’s interest level increased, but he feels very rejuvenated and revitalized, when it comes to helping out the next crop of players that have set their sights on potentially playing international cricket for South Africa. “My coaching thus far at Maties has been awesome. The structure and all the support at Maties is amazing and I wish I was 19 again and a student, playing and getting my degree. Maties prides itself as a University with high academic excellence as well as excellence in the sporting field. The support is world class, from sports physicians to sports Psychologists.” As of late, there have been questions arising about the gradually diminishing talent pool in South Africa, especially due to several players migrating elsewhere to further their cricketing aspirations, especially the Kolpak route to playing English county cricket. In addition, the Proteas finished seventh overall on the league table in the 2019 Cricket World Cup; today’s win against Australia was a bit of a silver lining in an otherwise forgettable tournament. However, Bailey was quick to brush aside the concerns, since it’s now time to start afresh, and build a new four-year plan leading up to the next World Cup. Plus the next World Twenty20 is about a year away, and several young contenders stand a chance of having a pre-tournament audition in bilateral T20I series. “My students and the athletes have a conditioning coach and tutors to help when needed so all bases are covered as a High Performance student and athlete. Yes, there are plenty of challenges as the Head Coach,” declares Bailey. “The high academic requirements does not allow me to recruit any player. Academics has to be strong before they can join the cricket program. Balancing academic commitments with that of cricket is also a challenge but one that the boys succeed at. With the shock of the WC, the next crop of players will have to learn and learn quickly.” There are crests and troughs, and the significantly low points can be used as a means of inspiration to further incentivize newcomers, as well as help the more experienced players pick up the pieces and move forward with a more positive mindset. Several former first-class cricketers taking up coaching roles have heralded improvement in the overall quality of the South African domestic structure. As of now, the major downside in the domestic system seems to be the difficulty for the outperforming players in provincial level to earn franchise contracts. As a result, there have been calls to redo the domestic structure such that there is maximum exposure for all budding cricketers. “The structure will change, and change for the better, in my opinion. There will be more playing opportunities with 12 teams being introduced. With the new structure I would like to see more South ‘A’ tours to bridge the gap to International cricket.” Bailey’s optimism during current times of strife has shown that perseverance is one of the core values in South African cricket. The recent South Africa A squad that was announced has several young players such as Warriors and former South Africa U19 opening batsman Matthew Breetzke, internationally capped allrounder Wiaan Mulder, Warriors wicketkeeper Sinethemba Qeshile, and Cobras opener Janneman Malan, for example. There’s no doubt that there is rich promise among the current crop of South African cricketers. Retired first-class domestic cricketers have recently done wonders for the development of talent; for instance, Highveld Lions coach, Enoch Nkwe, was a central figure in mentoring the Jozi Stars to win the inaugural Mzansi Super League. Nkwe may not have clicked to a great extent as a player, but his coaching as been priceless. With South Africa’s World Cup done, it’s now time to identify the bolting youngsters that are set for higher honors. It’s not always an easy task, but the upcoming A tour of India will provide more clarity. Considering the fact that an away series against India and a home series against England are in store for later this year, the future isn’t expected to be any easier. South Africa are entering a transition phase; calmness, perseverance, and encouragement are the three best ways to attack this issue. Bailey resolutely states, "I have full confidence in the talent and ability of those young players but they also need the experienced players to learn from.” With the overall confidence level back home not having taken a major hit, there will be better times in store, and the wait will very likely not be very long.
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AuthorsAkseli Pitkänen Archives
September 2020
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