DISASTER AWAITS Russell Domingo has warned that the possible relegation of the Warriors to the second division in South African cricket could be disastrous for the Eastern Cape region, affecting sponsors, player retention, and the overall domestic cricket structure. Picture: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
With Cricket SA considering a change to its domestic structure, the Warriors are in line to be relegated to the second division of the first-class format, and that’s something former Proteas coach Russell Domingo has termed something of a potential catastrophe.
The Warriors are in last place of the eight-team log with one match remaining in the CSA 4-Day Series Division 1 competition.
With their final match against the second-placed Dolphins in Gqeberha next week, the possibility of cricket in the region sustaining a massive blow seems all too real.
Domingo, who now coaches the Lions, explained what the Warriors being relegated would mean for Eastern Cape cricket.
"I think it's an absolute disaster. If the Warriors go into the second division, that'll be a massive disaster in terms of sponsors, in terms of retaining players,” Domingo told SportsBoom.co.za in an exclusive interview.
"I'm hoping CSA (Cricket South Africa) realise that you can't not have cricket in that region and that something gets done regarding the domestic structure going forward because it'll be a hammer blow for cricket in that particular region.”
Domingo has already shared his thoughts on the matter in meetings with CSA, he explained.
"And I've said in meetings, I don't agree with this promotion-relegation sort of system. Coaches are sort of picking teams to just stay up in the first division and not picking teams that can produce plays to play, and that's a big problem. So, yeah, it'll be a hammer blow for regional boarders in the second division.”
"Obviously, finances are important, but they've got to make some good critical decisions. I think we've got to try and increase the number of teams competing in division one. Who those ten teams are, I don't know because we play far too little cricket.”
The fact that there was so little cricket played domestically was another major concern, said Domingo.
"I mean, we play seven four-day games. Here's a prime example: we had one game right off, so we're actually ending up playing six games a season. So, it's far too little domestic cricket. I mean, we had a one-day game right off, so that means we played six one-day games and six four-day games. You're not going to have enough time to develop players, to play at the highest level, and that's a big concern."
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