Desert Storm

Preparing for cricket tours has been part of my life for 25 years. Still, to this day, I have reported on more live cricket in Colombo, Sri Lanka, than my home town of Cape Town and have now left home on over 60 occasions for the purpose of following a tour. And earning an income.

For various reasons, this one to the United Arab Emirates feels rather different from all its many predecessors. It’s the first time I’ve ever booked an international ticket online. Domestic is one thing, even travelling to Harare via the internet has become relatively comfortable, but intercontinental is a new one for me. Excuse my Luddism.

More pertinently, there is a sense of anticipation amongst much of the world’s media that the tour – SA vs Pakistan on neutral territory – could throw up the most unimaginable stories. Match-fixing may be the major one, but there are many other potential sub-plots. Terror? Phah! Surely not.

If teams touring the home of the ICC can’t feel safe, where can they? Still, it is a prime example of how freelance journalism, in its purest sense, works. If something ‘happens’, I will be there. I may file for 15 media organisations and make a profit; I may write just for this column and lose money.

That’s the way life has always been. Either way I will be happy, either financially or professionally. Speculation about the composition of the Proteas squad for the World Cup starting in February may be foremost in the minds of many of those watching this series but there is still a long way to go.

There are many choices to make. A very large number of players to choose from. Well, at least 28 or 30 genuine contenders. Irrespective of transformation objectives. For the first time ever it occurred to me that we have more ‘genuine contenders’ than any other nation.

England have more professional cricketers than any other country and, of course, India have more cricketers – millions more. So do Bangladesh for that matter. Australia have ‘always’ had the strongest first-class competition. But now?

And long term? A recent survey of Australia’s youth has revealed a flattening of interest, at best, and the beginning of a decline, at worst. The composition of their recent ODI XI against India suggested a stark plunge towards mediocrity.

Where are the newcomers, the next great generation? The survey suggests they are more interested in ipods and wii games than cricket. The same applies to England.

And India? The same may be said of the administration in that country. Not literally, of course, but counting billions of dollars takes a lot of time and must be easily as distracting and time-consuming as computer games.

It may be 10 or 15 years later than South Africa’s visionaries had hoped, but there is now genuine reason to believe that more top-class talent will be produced in this country than any other.

Kids are being drawn to the game in greater numbers here than anywhere else. And whilst it may be tempting in a romantic sense to imagine they are all black, or from ‘previously disadvantaged backgrounds’, the reality is that more and more are from ‘previously non-cricketing backgrounds.’ Can Rusty Theron ever be described as ‘privileged’? Maybe, now that he has ‘made it’. But not before.

He had a disparate and challenging life. Cricket offered him a chance at success and wealth and he has, so far, grabbed it with the strength of a crocodile on the last wildebeest in the pack I am about to fly to Dubai. I hope (!) to hire a car to drive to Abu Dhabi where the Proteas will play the first couple of games on tour.

I will miss the first one (freelance budgets!). Who knows what will transpire. I can’t even tell my wife or children where I will be staying. But they know it will be OK. I have been doing this for all the time I have known them(!)

Stay tuned. It may be very hot and very dull. If it is, I shall tell you so. If it is not, then I will also tell you so.