South Africa Cricket Legends

 South Africa Cricket Legend

Thirty years after readmission: how far has South African cricket come since 1991?

Vincent Barnes, Dave Richardson and Geoffrey Toyana, representing three different strands across the country's society, share their stories

Interviews by Firdose Moonda  |  December 20, 2021

Thirty years ago South Africa was readmitted into international sport after a two-decade isolation imposed on the apartheid-state. "The country returned as a unified nation, despite huge inequalities, and made an immediate impression in global sport. A year into their return, the cricket team only just missed out on a World Cup final spot; within a few years, they were universally regarded as among the best; and in 2012, they were No.1 in all formats. It has not always been smooth sailing". Particularly in the past two years, they have undergone administrative and on-field crises, and there's a spotlight on inclusivity—or rather, on the lack of it. How far have they come since 1991? And how far do they yet have to go? We spoke to Dave Richardson, who played in the first series after readmission and went on to serve the ICC's chief executive for much of the 2010s; Vincent Barnes, who was an active cricketer back in the early '90s but was not considered for the national side; and Geoffrey Toyana, now well known in the game as a coach, who was still at school then, about readmission and their experience of cricket in South Africa in the 30 years since. At what stage was your cricket career at in 1991? Dave Richardson: I was beginning to think of retiring from cricket and just working full time again. I had a young family. I was qualified and was working in a law practice. I was pretty pessimistic about the political situation and I couldn't imagine that within my cricket lifetime there would ever be substantial change [in terms of a return from sporting isolation]. And then we got the news out of the blue, that things had moved, that Nelson Mandela was going to be released and that this tour was on. That rejuvenated my career. It gave me the incentive to carry on for another eight years. Geoffrey Toyana: I was in Grade 11 at the time. I was playing in Soweto, and we used to play against elite cricket schools like KES [King Edward VII, in Johannesburg] and St Stithians, and sometimes we could not even make teams - sometimes we would just go to the ground with eight or nine players.

Dave Richardson was 32 when South Africa were readmitted to international cricket. He went on to play 42 Tests and 122 ODIs between 1991 and 1998 Dave Richardson was 32 when South Africa were readmitted to international cricket. He went on to play 42 Tests and 122 ODIs between 1991 and 1998 Mike Hewitt / © Getty Images We were eight kids. In some instances, it meant that R20 she had was either to be used to give me money to take three taxis to go for net practice at the Wanderers, or to buy bread. I sometimes walked, but I had to walk through the political drama of the IFP and the ANC, walk through hostels and not know if I was going to get shot. People were getting shot from trains and I was a child walking there. Vincent Barnes: I was 31 and people were starting to question whether I could still play or not. I was also playing pro football at the same time, but I wasn't making any money out of either, so it was that decision-making time. I decided cricket was the way to go, and I really wanted to coach. I played some cricket in England overseas when I was about 26 or 27, and while being there, I applied and did the coaching course. At home, our cricket [played by people of colour] was really recreational but at unity [end of apartheid], there was an opportunity to channel more energy into coaching. What were your impressions of readmission, and the team South Africa fielded on the India tour? Richardson: Out of the blue [selection convener] Peter van der Merwe called me and said, "South Africa is going on a tour to India and they are leaving in two or three weeks' time and you're in the squad." I thought: "Wow, an official team!"On the actual tour, the whole thing was so new and the general excitement of being involved in international cricket was a bit overwhelming.

That team, to my mind, was the best that possibly could have been put together at that time.

We were also up against an Eastern Province side that, at that time, were dominating the interprovincial scene, whereas a couple of years before that, it would have been Transvaal or Western Province. A HEARTY WELCOME: South Africa cricketers being greeted on their return to Johannesburg after they ended as semi-finalists in the 1992 World Cup. South Africa cricketers being greeted on their return to Johannesburg after they ended as semi-finalists in the1992 World Cup Jon Jones / © Getty Images We had a white team for a while when you looked around, and we knew that in years to come that must change, would change. I thought the team seemed to be universally popular across all races and well supported. I think most people recognised that we had been in apartheid and things were not going to change overnight. But there was a sense that we still wanted to show that we could be competitive and persuade people to take up the game when they were youngsters and eventually people of all colours would come through. Toyana: I remember some stuff really about readmission, but it didn't kind of register then that this was a big stepping stone. I remember watching the series with my dad. I know Hussein Manack was invited to go as a development player just to make sure there was someone of colour but there was a gap in terms of black cricket. There was no one in the team like us that we could look up to. Barnes: I was disappointed. It just didn't seem right, the way the team got selected. It was really just the old cricket union team going and adding one or two names around. It was disappointing that players of colour didn't get recognition.

It's not about me but there were a number of players, just in the Western Province side, that I thought would get a call-up and didn't get the opportunity.

Also, Faiek [Davids, who travelled as a development player] and Nazeem White - these guys were on top of their game and a lot younger than me didn't get opportunities. What happened immediately after readmission?

Richardson: I just took things day to day. The next talking point was when it was confirmed that South Africa would go to the 1992 World Cup and then the tour to West Indies. All that happened very quickly, and thereafter, I think everybody took a breather. From left: captain Kepler Wessels, team manager Alan Jordaan, and coach Mike Procter react to the news, in March 1992, about the referendum to end apartheid in South AfricaFrom left: captain Kepler Wessels, team manager Alan Jordaan, and coach Mike Procter react to the news, in March 1992, about the referendum to end apartheid in South Africa Peter Rae / © Fairfax Media/Getty Images The frenzy did not stop with the team or with cricket. There was a sense that fever other than the one of readmission and a World Cup had gripped the entire country. For me, I had just made partner at my law firm and I said to them, "I am going to be away so I will pay the money that I make from cricket as my contribution toward fee generation [for the firm]." Three or four years later, we started earning more from cricket and then I thought that I would take unpaid leave and keep my cricket money. I played as long as I could but the last couple of years, I was having problems with my right hip and they diagnosed that it had basically worn out. I was battling and needing to take painkillers to get through a day in the field and I knew my body was not up for it anymore. Toyana: I never thought I'd be a professional cricketer. I made my first-class debut in 1995. It was the first game ever played at Elkah Stadium [in Soweto]. I played with Hansie Cronje and Jonty Rhodes against an England XI. So the same year, I went to Lord's and spent six months with the ground staff, I then realized that there is a future for me in cricket. "I was lucky to have a dad who kept driving me on, but the biggest disappointment for us was the amount of black cricketers that we lost at that stage, cricketers out of Soweto, who never got an opportunity." Barnes: I was playing club cricket, and provincial cricket for the Western Province B side. Also, I had a few years with the Benson & Hedges series, and I feel I did quite well. A lot of my energy was actually getting channeled towards coaching.

Then gradually, the interest in playing began to subside.

I retired at 34. I played with a few of the boys, who were playing in 1991 — we became mates. "That is powerful imagery there," says Toyana. "When Temba Bavuma walks into the change room, he has a black African coach in there with him. … My peers stopped playing the game because it was not easy in an unfriendly environment at that time."Randy Brooks / And then I was thinking more board [South African Cricket Board, which ran cricket for non-white players during the isolation years] cricketers will come through the system.. But they didn't. That was very disappointing to me. We could have done a lot more maybe, to try and influence selections, to give more players opportunities but probably that didn't quite happen. How do you feel South African cricket has evolved and developed during the 30 years that have passed since you retired? Richardson: After I retired, Hansie took the team to No. 1 and they had a golden period, and then Graeme [Smith] took over and they reached No. 1 in the Test rankings. I thought they developed really well as a team. Then, as most teams do, it seemed to be that they went through a dip, lost some top players, and had to rebuild. I always thought the team from my era probably played a little bit above their station. With an average team, we played good cricket a lot of the time. We had our moments. Like, we lost all six matches in Pakistan one tour, but generally, we tried to be the best we could on the field and control the things we could control quite well. Barnes (centre) on coaching South Africa in the 2000s: "We had developed a very strong team, but we lost too many players in quick succession. Now there are a lot of young players finding their feet and they've got to be given time" Duif du Toit / © Getty Images It's looked for many years now like South Africa have got all the talent in the world and believe in themselves, but at times they don't play as good as they should. "They are a little slack in the field; they let people get twos instead of cutting them off. They dropped a crucial catch and bowled the odd wide down the leg side. There seem to be a number of areas where they could make marginal improvements, and so they could have got so much better results. We are maybe on the cusp of improving in that way.". I remember when I started, I was the only black African in the change room. I'd sit in the corner on my own. It was a powerful change room with players like Ken Rutherford, Daryll Cullinan, Clive Eksteen and I was on my own. Now it wasn't easy. Now, when Temba Bavuma walks into the change room, he has a black African coach in there with him. I believe when they come in now and there's one of them in the change room, it brings a touch more ease; you feel more comfortable. I wasn't comfortable at the time, I had to persevere. My peers stopped playing the game because it wasn't easy in an unfriendly environment at the time. It got friendlier. So things have changed and they've changed for good. The talented players get taken out of the townships and given bursaries to go and play for KES or Saints and those playing fields are being levelled just a little bit. It will take time.  Barnes: Biggest change has been opportunities. Well, if I compare then to now, opportunities are being given to people of colour, whereas in the past it was a sprinkling of players of colour in the provincial sides and in the national sides. It was really no one.

Now it's different.

And the game itself has evolved in every way - in administration, umpiring, management, coaches and players.

There are a lot more people involved. Toyana (right): "In terms of talent, our challenge, especially coming from a township, is that you play five games a year. In private schools, guys are playing 30 games a year. That is a problem" © Lions Cricket How well do you think South Africa's transformation policies have worked in this time? Richardson: Yeah, obviously, things could have been done better; they always can. But I don't think people realize how hard it is. It sounds very easy on paper, but there's always that little thing to consider when doing your team selection. You know, it's not just about who scored the most runs or who has taken the most wickets. It's an extremely emotive thing, not only in cricket but in all walks of life. The bottom line is that I've always thought of it as: if South Africa really wants to be at the top, and to be ranked No.1 in whatever format or all formats, we have to have a bigger pool of players, and therefore affirmative action is essential. It does, however, hinge on development and what programmes are in place and how effective they are. There's nothing, though, that vibes the sport more than when your team is at its best and winning games. It is a balancing act all the time, and I think we have reached the stage now where we have got enough talent of all races to pick the best team to play for South Africa. Hopefully less and less of those debates about who should be there on merit or not. Toyana: Our challenge, especially coming from a township, where talent is concerned, is that you play five games a year. Guys are playing in private schools - 30 games a year. There are no cricketing schools in the townships. Then players go on a U-19 week and we expect players who have played five games a year to compete against those who have played 30. That is a problem. In terms of the policy now, maybe there are times, because of the transformation targets now, which say that three black Africans must play in every domestic team, when guys take the opportunities for granted. They were a strong team throughout the '90s, but though they represented a rainbow nation, the side was largely white. South Africa were a strong team throughout the '90s, but though they represented a rainbow nation, the side was largely white. "There was no one in the team like us that we could look up to," says Toyana Mike Hewitt / © Getty Images There's not many black African batters who average over 30. It would be nice to have more guys being an example. I expect guys like Temba Bavuma to lead the way for the next generation. And they have us there as mentors. If I was struggling, I had no one to go to, but if Temba Bavuma struggles, I am there.Barnes: The game has transformed so much. Now teams are selected and half are players of colour. Those players deserve to be there; they are the best in the country and this is because people have been given opportunities over the years. There were times when there were brick walls in front of them, and those walls had to be knocked down, and Cricket South Africa has managed to find a way now to bring players through the system. Sometimes they had to make hard rules and coaches weren't ready for that, but it had to happen.I was just with the U-19 side and the players of colour in the side are massive players and it's the same with the South Africa A side.

 It's not like in the past, where it was just about giving players of colour opportunities, and it didn't matter how they performed.

The players that are put there now have been coming through a system, and looked after in a system and guided in a system to go out and perform.

These are world-class players. What do you think has been the biggest change in cricket over the last 30 years? Richardson: I've gotten this feeling that people have lost a bit of love for the sport, you know, following their local teams. I played in a nice era: if you are playing for Eastern Province, then the people of Port Elizabeth follow Eastern Province and want their team to do well. And we had an inter-provincial rivalry. That seems to have been lost over the years. Allan Donald and Sachin Tendulkar share the Player-of-the-Match trophy in South Africa's first international match after readmission, in Calcutta in 1991Allan Donald and Sachin Tendulkar share the Player-of-the-Match trophy in South Africa's first international match after readmission, in Calcutta in 1991 Phil O'Brien / © PA Photos/Getty Images One of those objectives in the new domestic structure is to have a message out there: "Don't be confused anymore." We sit with a situation where people didn't even know what they are, if they are Boland or Paarl Rocks. It led to way too much confusion and not really a buy-in from the fans. Hopefully, the new structure will go a long way in making people feel identified with their provincial teams again. We have changed our brand of cricket. This could have been two an over in a four-day game, which was adequate, I guess, in the past. Now people are playing more aggressively. I believe we are heading in the right direction. Again, we have access to watch games from all around the world, but most people in our country still can't view all of our matches. The games are not on the public broadcaster, so 80% of the population can't see the games. Barnes: I was with the national team from 2003 to 2011 and 2007 to 2011 was probably where they were at their strongest. We had developed a very strong team and the team was very well led. But then we lost too many players in quick succession. You can't replace these guys overnight. The fact is that it was easier for players to work their way into the side with a lot of unbelievable players there. It's not as easy now.

There are so many young players finding their feet; they replaced great players and they've got to be given time.

The only way is going to be by playing against top opposition, continuing to play against top opposition. We've got to back them. Richardson: "If South Africa really wants to be at the top, and to be ranked No.1, we have to have a bigger pool of players, and therefore affirmative action is essential" Wikus de Wet / © Getty Images What is your hope for the next 30 years of South African cricket, and for your involvement in it? Richardson: I would like us to go down to the golf club, and after golf, people are talking about cricket. I want people to say they are excited about their teams, and when South Africa A is playing, that everybody is excited about the team. It will be nice to win a World Cup but that's not the be-all and end-all. If you can get people there to get behind their team, and view it as their team, and be part of it. For me, I've run my race now [as an administrator]. I've enjoyed to be involved but I think it needs a bit with a little bit more energy behind it. I'd like to sit on a board, maybe. But in terms of slaving away, I've done my bit. Toyana: It's all about development. As a coach, I strongly believe in young cricketers. I play them in my side. I played Wiaan Mulder when he was still in matric [final year of high school]. We need to try and develop township cricket schools. That's important, for me, and my kids and their kids. I mean, I have in place now a very powerful bunch of coaches, and that has really been a huge lift for high-performance structure. It is a bunch of people, every one of whom is working together and all working in that one direction. It will get our cricketers right to the absolute top, but a huge amount of work lies ahead. We have the right structures in place. And we will win a World Cup. I don't really think that we need to think much about the trophy; we need to think about how we get there and win it.