Warriors dispute spoils CSA’s hope for a cheery summer

Cricket SA’s (CSA) attempts at riding on the coattails of the successful SA20 have fallen flat as the fallout from the transformation scandal with the Eastern Province Warriors continues.

“No additional information will be shared regarding the Warriors/Dolphins matter,” a CSA spokesperson said on Tuesday. Confusion continued to envelop the local game with the (Free State) Knights asking CSA why the Warriors' victory over the Dolphins at the start of the One-Day Cup still counted in the “win” column. 

As a result the Warriors still finished fourth in the competition — despite losing the five points earned when beating the Dolphins with just two black African players in the starting team and thus being in breach of CSA transformation rules. 

All domestic teams must field six “players of colour”, which must include three black African players, in their respective starting teams.

The Dolphins were credited with four points as a result of the Warriors being sanctioned, which moved the KwaZulu-Natal team into second place on the table, earning them the right to host Wednesday’s play-off against the Titans. 

The Warriors retain the victory in the “wins” column giving them four for the competition and crucially earning them five points on the promotion-relegation log. Those five points pushed them to seven points in the promotion-relegation table, level with Western Province at the bottom, before the last few rounds of matches in the Four-Day Series, which resumes next week. 

The Dolphins, who had been in danger of relegation, earned 10 points for finishing second in the One-Day Cup and can now breathe easier.

The bottom team will be relegated to Division Two next season.

The Knights, who finished fifth in the One-Day Cup — and were tied with the Warriors on 16 points in that tournament — had requested that CSA’s sanction also reflect in the wins column, which would have left them and the Warriors level on three wins each. 

However, Eddie Khoza, CSA’s executive in charge of domestic cricket, said the sanction dished out by the organisation only related to points and not wins. “The match still happened and players’ records in the match must still stand. The points deduction is the punishment for a breach according to our competition rules.”

The match between the Warriors and Dolphins took place on February 16, but the sanction was only confirmed on Monday, just two days before the play-off, causing confusion for the Warriors, Dolphins and Titans. 

The reason for the lengthy period, according to Khoza, was logistical, with the Warriors — represented by coach Robin Peterson, Eastern Province Cricket CEO Mark Williams and president Donovan May — needing to submit reasons for the transgression. 

Besides losing the five points from the clash, the Warriors were also fined R500,000, half of which has been suspended for five years. 

The Warriors said they would dispute the sanctions.

“Eastern Province Cricket is awaiting CSA’s decision on whether the dispute will be resolved through mediation, a round table meeting or arbitration,” the union said. 

Meanwhile, the tournament rolls on with the Titans, who privately are understood to be angry as they have lost out on hosting Wednesday’s playoff, headed to Durban to face the Dolphins on Wednesday. 

Conditions at Kingsmead, where spin is prevalent, differ vastly from SuperSport Park, which is a faster and bouncier surface. 

Wednesday’s winner heads to Paarl to play Boland in Sunday’s final. However, the whole look of the tournament has changed. Instead of continuing the cheery atmosphere created by the SA20’s success, the One-Day Cup will now be mired in controversy, reflecting on CSA’s transformation targets and the sluggish manner in which it has handled the affair.