The current cricket series against Australia is sponsor-less and a lot has to do with the way Cricket SA has allowed Gerald Majola to run the sport.

Hopefully they are paying the Aussies with the money Majola set aside for himself when the IPL hosted their tournament in SA a season or two ago.

However they are financing this tour, at least we can safely say that Majola and co is not benefiting financially from sponsorship meant for the development of cricket. Because no corporate has been foolish enough to give them more money to spend on themselves.

(Sponsors logos have been replaced by CSA Facebook and Twitter addresses.)

Of course this blog has never been a supporter of Majkola. In fact, quite the opposite.

He has always come across as a smooth operator, with little interest in transforming cricket. Although now another president of CSA had to be sacked by the CSA board of idiots so that Majola’s ego could be further stroked and so that his self enrichment can continue.

First Norman Arendse, and now Mtutuzeli Nyoka.

Seriously, who shoots the messenger in such a public way? Even going against public opinion?

Only the arrogant! And stupid!

We’ve been seeing a lot of Fikile Mbalula the Minister of Sport lately. And the less we see of him the better. But in this case, this blog will support any efforts to rid our favourite sport of corruption.

And if in the process Gerald Majola gets the boot, this blog won’t be shedding any tears. Although we would have to find another villain.

Sanity has prevailed and Gary Kirsten has been named SA’s cricket coach!

Thank goodness!

After a farce of an interview process, that is.

Imagine someone else had been named coach instead. Every Proteas loss would have ended with a “Gary Kirsten would have done better.”

Anyway, none of that nonsense, as my favourite former cricketer, I am delighted that Kirsten will be coaching the Proteas

As I was when he coached India, because I knew he would be back.

Congratulations Gary Kirsten! And Alan Donald his bowling coach.

This couldn’t be better news for SA cricket fans. Well maybe the news that AB de Villiers will captain the ODI and T20 teams with Hashim Amla as deputy.

Hopefully this clean broom will sweep clean. The Proteas clearly need a new lease on life.

For anyone imagining Graeme Smith contemplating the Proteas loss after the cricket world cup – sitting high up on one of the Irish cliffs – fear not.

The SA cricket captain went to Ireland, with the permission of Cricket South Africa, not to avoid us fans, but to propose to his girlfriend Morgan Deane.

30 year old Smith proposed to 26 year old Deane on Sunday.

She apparently said yes, because the announcement was made official.

No wedding details have been announced yet – on Twitter, Facebook or anywhere else.

But naturally the info will be available here if we hear anything.

Best wishes to the newly engaged couple.

Our Cape Town teams, the Cobras and Stormers kept their fans happy for another weekend, with victory over their opponents.

The Cape Cobras won their 4 day match against the Warriors to take the Supersport Series for the second year in a row!

Well done Cobras!

Add that to their T20 victory and it might be stating the obvious that our cricketers have had a fantastic season.

The Stormers aren’t doing too badly themselves. Still unbeaten this season in the Super 15!

A few ‘knowlegeable’ people thought they would come undone against the Sharks in Durban.

Who can blame them, as the Stormers/Western Province have often lost the plot in Durbs.

But not this time!

They were their new usual selves. Consistent, disciplined and confident.

Beating the other SA teams is always fun and doing it against the Bulls and Sharks is extra fun.

Well done to the Stormers! Long may this run of good form continue!

Yesterday some newspapers ran a story about Graeme Smith defecting SA to play for the Irish. Even if it wasn’t April Fool’s Day, I would not have believed a word.

What is apparently true is that former Proteas one day captain and current test match captain is dating Morgan Deane, a 26 year old Irish singer song writer.

The buzz is that Morgan’s ex-boyfriend is dating Graeme’s ex-girlfiend Brigette Sarembock.

For someone who looks as in control as Graeme Smith, it’s hard to believe the women he gets involved with. Always drama surrounding them.

And always in the press. Minkie van der Westhuizen, anyone?

Anyway, Morgan Deane was in India and apparently shares flirtatious tweets with Smith. Not that I checked (sorry!) But they are said to share the same profile picture on Facebook.

Hello…no wonder we can’t win knockout games at the World Cup! Our cricket captain is living his teenaged years publicly on social networks!

Joking aside, it is however good to know that Smith had a shoulder to cry on after CWC2011. It must be tough to be the public face of the Proteas cricket team.

The Proteas have asked for our help in winning them the next Cricket World Cup. Or rather outgoing temporary coach Corrie van Zyl did at the news conference on their return to Oliver Tambo International airport.

I’m sure the Proteas have been getting advice via Twitter ever since Friday’s quarter final defeat by New Zealand though.

And I’m sure a few journalists pitched in with pearls of wisdom. Not forgetting one or two smartass bloggers!

What about that psychologist who happened to give a diagnosis on E-tv news. He said something about national psyche, I think.

The one thing Graeme Smith and co won’t be short of is advice. That and being called chokers.

Even as a layperson I offered what I consider to be sound advice in another blog post. If I remember correctly, I suggested they embrace their choker tag.

Hey, you can’t quit it until you admit it!

I’m sure some smart person like Dr Phil came up with that tagline. Or I made it up and it’s not so smart.

Anyway, I have more sage advice for our cricket team. Nicknamed the daisies by someone on Twitter.

To the team: relax boys! No one will ever expect you to win a knock out game at the world cup again. Fight with your team mates if you want. Screw the local women. Do whatever you want. At least you’ll have fun along the way. Plus your biography will get some headlines some day.

Herschelle Gibbs knows how to lose a World Cup and still have fun. If the inevitable is going to happen, why fight it?

To the selectors: What the hell? Do they pay you guys to do that job? I hope not!

Please pick people with different personalities and different temperaments for goodness sake!

If the sword must fall on anyone, let it be Gerald Majola! The buck must stop somewhere and everyone from captain to players to coach and selectors get blamed, but never the useless Majola.

Oh… And last but not least, hire Gary Kirsten and his team to coach SA.

Actually scrap all the above (except the Majola bit) and just hire Kirsten and team. That’s step 1 in helping our hapless cricketers.

So far in his tenure as Indian coach no effigy of Kirsten has been burned yet. That must say something about the man.

SABC showed repeats of the India vs Proteas cricket world cup 2011 round robin match instead of the Quarter final between the West Indies and Pakistan today.

Their schedule from here on out looks like this:

Thursday 24 March – another repeat England vs India

Friday 25 March – South Africa vs New Zealand @ 10am live

Saturday 26 March – Sri Lanka vs England live @ 10.30am

Saturday 2 April – CWC final @ 10.30am

These are the only matches I can find that SABC are televising. But I guess if the proteas make the semi-finals we’ll see that.

Who knows…maybe they are still negotiating more live matches.

It’s hard to believe they haven’t bought the rights to even one semi-final. Not that it should be surprising.

This is after all the same people who think we want to see Kenya and Zimbabwe live. They could have used that money to get us more live Quarter final games.

I will update as more info become available.

The Cobras seem to have caught the attention of Capetonians this season and it paid off for fans! A home final and a Pro20 series win.

For the first time in years I heard people getting excited about local cricket. I know of many people who went to the game Friday night. And all week the talk was Cobras cricket.

As a long time WP cricket fan I find it very exciting and refreshing.

Congratulations Cape Cobras! Hope the marketing people at WP cricket takes note for next season.

Then this morning the Proteas did the same by beating Bangladesh at Cricket World Cup 2011.

I don’t want to jinx them by writing too much

Well done to the Proteas cricket team for topping their group and reaching the CWC2011 quarter finals.

And for good measure – the Stormers took the Bulls apart in very measured, yet satisfying fashion.

Well done Stormers and welcome back Peter Grant! 23-13 win against the Bulls at Loftus is good going.

Hope the Stormers continue their brilliant defence overseas too.

In all an epic sporting weekend for supporters of Cape Town teams. Long may they continue.

You can never tell what SABC3 will get up to where cricket is concerned.  We suprisingly got to watch many of the World T20 matches being played in the West Indies, without prior warning.

So naturally some cricket fans (me included) were a bit worried that the SABC would not show the semi-finals and the final.

They didn’t show the first semi between Sri Lanka and England (not that we missed much), but they surprised us last night with the semi-final Australia against Pakistan.

By the way…

Although I was supporting Pakistan in Friday’s semi-final and was hoping they would beat the Aussies, in the end I was admittedly happy with the result.  Who knew what Pakistan would dish up in the final had they got there.

Anything – from dressing room squabbles to the morning’s breakfast menu – could derail those Pakistanis.  Never mind match fixing allegations.

On the other hand it’s always good to see the Aussies lose, as infrequent as that may be. And for a long time it looked like they would lose that game.

Now we at least (potentially) have a good game on our hands between the two unbeaten sides in the tournament – England and Australia.  Oh how I hate to type that!

The English have been surprisingly good – much to my dismay!  OHHHH how I hate those South Africans…uhmm I mean English.

So Sunday I will definitely be supporting the Aussies – again much to my dismay.

The match final World T20 match will be broadcast on SABC3 from 4.30pm on Sunday 16 May.

Another World Cup loss, another disappointing performance from our Proteas team.

Our top order looked so cumbersome and without ideas. But how on earth could anyone actually think Herchelle Gibbs would be the answer to the Proteas bad form? We needed fresh players or at least someone in form.

Don’t even mention Graeme Smith! Why did the selectors put him in the team when he was injured for most of the off-season?

It’s time the selectors trust that we have players besides the usual who make the team regardless of their form.

Anyway, the ones they pick time and time again are not winning tournaments. At least with new players, mixed with in form regulars, they’ll have renewed energy and a valid excuse if they lose.

Few fans mind if the Proteas play well and gets beaten by a better team. But to see them use the same boring tactics game in and game out is frustrating. Very frustrating.

A new coach has done absolutely nothing to improve the ‘boring’ label. I won’t even mention the ‘chocking’ label!

So disappointed!