That’s just not cricket
The media plays an important role in shaping public perception on sportsmen and women as well as sport in general. How the media reports on sporting events, or specific athletes, often reflects public opinion or works to create perceptions. South African cricket has recently seen considerable negative coverage, following its poor performance in India at the end of 2015, followed by the loss to England in the Sunfoil Test Series. Debates around transformation in the cricket team as well as leadership problems has seen ample coverage as well, with the media playing a big role in intensifying the transformation debate. The below report takes a look at how various players have been framed in the media space as well as the coverage on transformation and leadership.
Players and the media
In an analysis of the timing of media coverage of a variety of players in the South African cricket team, there was some evidence that the media favoured players such as AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn. Media coverage for the period leading up to the Test series as well as coverage during the series was collected and listed. From the list a headline search was conducted in order to establish when the first mention of a player was made and a consequent sentiment analysis was conducted. The players that were included were: Hashim Amla (made his debut in 2004 against India, captained the squad from 2014 to 2016), AB de Villiers (debuted in 2004 against England, captain of the ODI squad since 2011 and captained the Test side in 2016), Dale Steyn (Test debut in 2004 against England), Temba Bavuma (Test debut in 2014 against the West Indies), Dane Piedt (Test debut against Zimbabwe in August 2014) and Kagiso Rabada (Test debut against Bangladesh in November 2015).
The search revealed that Hashim Amla received the first headline on 20 December 2015. The headline had a negative sentiment, reading: ‘Coetsee shows Amla the way’.1 The article negatively reflects on Amla’s performance during the T20 Series where he and his team, the Cape Cobras, lost to the Knights. His approach to batting was questioned in light of the England Test that Amla played following the T20.
The first article found when searching for AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn also appeared on 20 December 2015. The article leads with a positive headline: ‘AB, Steyn dynamism can inflict pain’,2 and outlines both South Africa’s and England’s strengths and weaknesses going into the Test series. South Africa’s strengths start with mentioning Amla, De Villiers and Steyn, but goes on to list Amla’s poor form as a negative. AB de Villiers is heralded as a key player in the South African line-up despite worries about his back injury during the series and Amla going on to score a double century.
A search on headlines regarding Kagiso Rabada found the initial article published on 26 December 2015 titled ‘Rabada set for period on sidelines’.3 The article recaps on Rabada’s performance during the Test series against India, calling his bowling average “unflattering”. Speculation about his inclusion in the England Test followed with the conclusion being: unlikely. Rabada went on to take 13/144 in the last Test at SuperSport Park.
‘Steyn strains shoulder, Piedt takes out England’s Cook LBW’ read the first article regarding Dane Piedt, appearing on 28 December 2015.4 Despite the article covering Dane Piedt’s positive performance after stepping in for Steyn, he is only mentioned twice. This contrasts with Steyn’s mentions – totalling four as well as being the lead in the headline.
Temba Bavuma’s first segment of media coverage was published on 12 January 2016, reading ‘KP: Why is Bavuma in the Proteas’ side?’5 The headline, as well as the article has a negative sentiment. Former England batsman and a former South African, Kevin Pietersen, questions Bavuma’s inclusion in the South African team. According to Pietersen, having Bavuma in the team puts pressure on AB de Villiers. He also states that there were better options that could have been included. Bavuma went on to be the first black African to score a century in Test cricket for South Africa during the series.
The Proteas have struggled with leadership problems since former captain Graeme Smith retired two years ago. Speculation has been rife that Hashim Amla was forced into the captaincy by the powers that be.6 A lack of leadership can be detrimental to a team and can heavily influence their ability to perform, both individually and as a unit.
In the time leading up to, as well as during, the England test series questions were raised not only about Amla’s form at the crease but also his ability to captain the squad. Media coverage has worked to fuel fires by continuously questioning whether Amla was the man for the job as well as criticising Cricket SA for their choice.
A letter from a cricket fan published in the Daily News on 29 December 2015 urges selectors to remove Hashim Amla’s captaincy, saying that the extra responsibility is taking away from his batting ability.7 During the series it was evident that South Africa was having a hard time getting their house in order with many changes being made to the team for each match, often due to injury. South Africa’s woes were often attributed to Amla with headlines such as: ‘South Africa in disarray with questions over their captain Hashim Amla’.8
Amla struggled through the Test series in India, making low scores and being generally considered out of form. It was only once Amla performed by hitting a double century for his team during the second Test did “cries for him to be removed from the helm of the Proteas ship grow quieter with every deft flick through midwicket”.9 With this performance the team also showed their support with Faf du Plessis telling the media that “we as a team are really proud of him”.10
Hashim Amla ended his captaincy on a high note. Shortly after completing the second Test he announced he would be stepping down as skipper. With this news, questions about his appointment were raised, many stating that he was a shock appointment in the first place and that he was pushed into the captaincy by Cricket SA. Amla vehemently denied this, saying it was always his choice to take on the position; “Captaining your country is probably the pinnacle of everybody’s ambition,” he said.11
Sport in South Africa is continually beleaguered with questions around race and racism. When Amla was appointed as captain, speculation ran that it was due to the colour of his skin and that Cricket SA felt that it was time a person of colour was put at the helm. After Amla relinquished the captaincy, questions of race cropped up again. Kevin McCallum, chief sportswriter for Pretoria News, writes that “it would not be a stretch to say that Amla’s technique was questioned because of the colour of his skin”. He goes on to say that black players are often more highly scrutinised and their mistakes more clearly marked. They are also often regarded as only having been selected for quota purposes and not on merit. This means that “a black player has to be better than his counterpart”.12
With Amla’s retirement AB de Villiers was appointed captain for the remainder of the series. His appointment was taken positively and, although hesitant about taking the role on permanently, he did indicate that he hoped to remain in the position.13
Leadership can make or break a team, and different leadership styles work in different situations. Transformational leadership is based on building mutual relationships based on personal, emotional and inspirational exchanges. Another aspect is that leaders aim to develop their followers to their fullest potential which results in increased performance (Callow, et al, 2009: 396). There were clear differences in leadership styles between Amla and Graeme Smith. Smith led from the front and Amla, it is often said, led by example. With the appointment of De Villiers, it remains to be seen how he will lead the team, although speculation was that he will have a more “in-your-face” approach.14
Transformation
Politics and cricket have long shared a relationship, according to Gemmell (2007:57). This is not only true in South Africa, but even in the country where the sport was invented, England, where exclusionary policies also prevailed when the game first came into existence. In South Africa, apartheid dictated who could participate as well as spectate the game. Today, the ripple effects of exclusionary policies still affect the game and questions of representativeness are often raised.
Gemmell (2007: 62) points out that the media is quick to blame transformation whenever South African teams perform poorly. An example of the fickleness of the media can be seen in coverage on Temba Bavuma. Leading up the Test series, his inclusion in the team was questioned as his performance was said to be lacking. Despite this, Bavuma went on to hit his first Test century, also becoming the first African to hit a century in a Test for South Africa.
Writing for the Daily Maverick, Judith February points out how sport provides a platform that unites South Africans. She said: “Yet, in a week during which the now infamous Penny Sparrow took to social media calling black people ‘monkeys’, Temba Bavuma replied with his classy bat, while South Africans cheered him on. As is often the case in South Africa, sport provided us with a reminder that talent, if nurtured, is universal, and not the preserve of a particular race. A timely and welcome reminder indeed in these days of polarised debate on race and merit. And, the added bonus may be that perhaps Kevin Pietersen will have figured out who Bavuma is by now, too?”15
South Africa is a heterogeneous society where the potential for the development of subgroups is strong. Differences in ethnicity, culture, class, geography, religion are common and clearly visible. All of these differences compound, resulting in exclusion, prejudice and lack of access. Sport, Gemmell (2007: 60) argues, presents an opportunity to unite a diverse people around a common goal, leading to the development of a national identity. This strategy was clearly employed by ex-president Nelson Mandela during the Rugby World Cup in 1995. With South African cricket struggling through a transition period, players like Temba Bavuma and Kagiso Rabada, who took 13/144 and was named man of the match in the fourth Test, offer South Africans an opportunity to once again come together to support a national team.
Conclusion
Issues of transformation and race continue to affect South African cricket, as they do South Africa as a whole. These issues are frequently highlighted by the media in their coverage of the sport, as access to the necessary facilities, equipment and coaching remains a problem. Bavuma and Rabada securing their places in the Test team during the England series will not answer all the questions surrounding transformation in cricket, but their continued performances on the field will aid the process of achieving meaningful transformation in the sport.