Cricket returned in South Africa but it was not like anything anyone has ever seen. Sure, post-coronavirus, things were always going to be...
Cricket returned in South Africa but it was not like anything anyone has ever seen.
Sure, post-coronavirus, things were always going to be different but what transpired in South Africa on Saturday was newer than new normal.
An unusual match involving three teams was played in an empty SuperSport Park in Centurion, making it difficult to judge whether the new form of the game, branded 3T Cricket, had the potential for major spectator appeal.
A week of racism controversy for South African cricket ended on Saturday with the sport’s return to live action in the country.
It was the first major televised sporting event in South Africa since the coronavirus lockdown in March, and came days after 30 black former South African international players alleged in a letter that racism still affected the sport.
The 24 players involved on Saturday were united in wearing Black Lives Matter armbands. Before play started there was a minute of silence for victims of the COVID-19 virus followed by all the players taking a knee in solidarity with the BLM movement.
Makhaya Ntini, the former Test fast bowler who played in 101 Test matches, was one of the commentators.
He did not refer to an emotional television interview on Friday in which he said he felt lonely during his...