September 12, 2024

CSA Reports R815 Million Profit for 2023-24 Fiscal Year

Cricket South Africa (CSA) had a successful financial year in 2023-24, with profits of R815 million (US$45.6 million). This boost came from hosting India for two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is from December to January and from a profitable SA20 T20 tournament. As the major shareholder of the SA20, CSA earned R54 million (US$3.02 million) from the event, which saw strong growth.

This profit turnaround is notable after the organization faced losses totaling R538 million (US$30.14 million) in the previous three fiscal years. The increase in revenue mainly came from higher broadcast rights, which make up 54% of CSA’s income. Additionally, hosting the 2024 Under-19 Men’s World Cup and moving from Sri Lanka to South Africa contributed R54 million (US$3.02 million) to CSA’s revenue. Their ICC disbursements rose to R566 million (US$31.63 million) from R290 million (US$16.2 million) the previous year.

CSA is set for another strong year in 2024-2025, thanks to hosting India for four T20Is in November. Revenue from these matches is expected to exceed R150 million (US$8.38 million) per game. While CSA is starting to diversify its income with the SA20, it remains heavily reliant on hosting Indian teams, with all six SA20 franchises being IPL affiliates.

National Teams’ Costs Highlight Strong CSA Financial Performance

The biggest winner from Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) financial recovery is the women’s game, which was professionalized domestically last season. CSA invested R32 million (about $1.78 million) in women’s cricket. Despite this, the cost of running professional cricket teams—eight Division 1 and seven Division 2 men’s teams, plus six provincial women’s teams—remains CSA’s most significant expense, totaling R633 million (about $35.3 million). This high cost highlights an important issue in South African cricket: the heavy reliance on CSA funding. The national teams alone cost R172.8 million (around $9.66 million), nearly a quarter of domestic expenses.

Overall, CSA reported strong results across various levels. The national teams performed well, with the men reaching the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the women defeating Australia in both ODI and T20I formats for the first time in this period. Grassroots cricket also saw success; the KFC mini-cricket program, aimed at children aged 6-12, grew by 20%, with over 100,000 kids from more than 2,000 schools participating. Notably, 15% of these young players advanced to provincial and national teams.

The recent AGM also marked the end of Lawson Naidoo’s three-year term as CSA chair. A new chair will be elected at an extraordinary general meeting later this month, chosen from independent directors rather than provincial union presidents.

Rashid is back for South Africa ODIs, but Ibrahim and Mujeeb remain unavailable.

Uncapped players Bilal Sami, Darwish Rasooli, and Abdul Malik have been included in Afghanistan’s squad for their first-ever bilateral ODI series against South Africa. Legspinner Rashid Khan will return to ODI cricket for the first time since the World Cup last October-November. He is part of the 17-member squad for the three-match series in the UAE.

However, Afghanistan will miss mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who is still recovering from a sprained index finger. Wrist spinner Noor Ahmad is also left out. Chief selector Ahmad Shah Sulimankhil stated that offspinner AM Ghazanfar, who made his ODI debut in March, will replace Mujeeb for this series.

Rashid Khan’s return is a significant boost, compensating for the absence of Mujeeb and Noor. Rashid was unavailable for Afghanistan’s ongoing Test against New Zealand due to an ongoing injury and a need for medical clearance. After undergoing back surgery post-World Cup, he missed several series, including against UAE, India, Sri Lanka, and Ireland. Also, he had to withdraw from T20 leagues like the BBL, PSL, and SA20. Rashid returned to action in the Ireland T20Is this March.

Since his surgery, Rashid Khan has played exclusively in T20 formats. His comeback included stints in the IPL, T20 World Cup, MLC, The Hundred, and Afghanistan’s Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL). However, Rashid faced additional setbacks: he injured his hamstring while playing for Trent Rockets in The Hundred, missing the final week of the tournament, and then struggled with back issues during the SCL, where he managed only three games.

In preparation for their ODI series against South Africa, Afghanistan has called up uncapped medium-pace bowler Bilal Sami and top-order batsmen Darwish Rasooli and Abdul Malik. While Rasooli has played seven T20Is and Malik has been featured in two Tests, Sami has yet to debut in any format. Malik was added to cover for Ibrahim Zadran, who is out with an ankle sprain that kept him from the one-off Test against New Zealand.

The three-match ODI series starts on September 18, and all games are in Sharjah. This series will be Afghanistan and South Africa’s first bilateral ODI series, as they have only met in World Cup matches in 2019 and 2023. For Afghanistan, this series is crucial preparation for the Champions Trophy early next year, a tournament they qualified for by finishing sixth in the 2023 World Cup league stage.

Afghanistan squad for South Africa ODIs

Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain)

Rahmat Shah

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Ikram Alikhil

Abdul Malik

Riaz Hassan

Darwish Rasooli

Azmatullah Omarzai

Mohammad Nabi

Gulbadin Naib

Rashid Khan

Nangeyalia Kharote

AM Ghazanfar

Fazalhaq Farooqi

Bilal Sami

Naveed Zadran

Fareed Ahmad