Our cricket needs an Invisible Hand

We’re past the point where we can hope for principled, humble leaders.

Momentum want CSA president Chris Nenzani (second left) and the rest of his board to resign. (Photo by Johan Rynners/Gallo Images)

If you ever need a clear-cut example of the Invisible Hand principle, look no further than Rwanda. Just a refresher – the theory was developed by the so-called father of economics, Adam Smith, who argued that man’s self-interest benefits society. In broader terms, Rwandan president Paul Kagame embodies this. The former military leader has brought peace and economic prosperity to a country scarred by the 1994 genocide. All he wants in return, very simplistically, is to rule with an iron fist. No dissidence, no challenges. It’s a simple trade-off. After Momentum this week became yet another major sponsor to demand…

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If you ever need a clear-cut example of the Invisible Hand principle, look no further than Rwanda.

Just a refresher – the theory was developed by the so-called father of economics, Adam Smith, who argued that man’s self-interest benefits society.

In broader terms, Rwandan president Paul Kagame embodies this.

The former military leader has brought peace and economic prosperity to a country scarred by the 1994 genocide. All he wants in return, very simplistically, is to rule with an iron fist. No dissidence, no challenges.

It’s a simple trade-off.

After Momentum this week became yet another major sponsor to demand the resignations of all Cricket South Africa’s board members, I’ve also been hoping for an Invisible Hand. We’re past the point where we can hope for principled, humble leaders.

We need a board whose decisions benefit the sport overall, because keeping the coffers full means their plates remain full with succulent fare.

However, for cricket to feel an Invisible Hand, it needs suits who are savvy, not the sorry lot that constitutes CSA’s current board.

Multiple reports over the past year or so have cited how clueless the board is on even trivial matters, such as the Proteas’ medical report following a tragically poor World Cup campaign.

President Chris Nenzani gleefully threw suspended CSA chief Thabang Moroe under the bus without even subtly absolving him and the rest of his “decision-makers” of blame.

He just flat-out ignored the numerous observers who said there’s no way the board couldn’t have known about Moroe’s increasingly authoritarian decision-making.

Even if Nenzani and co resign, what can we look forward to?

The newest member of the board, EP president Donovan May, a few weeks ago suggested he would go public with his dissatisfaction.

This week, speaking to TimesLIVE, he said: “I’m in full support of the board. I find nothing wrong with the board at all and I actually think that they have been doing a good job.”

Heaven help us.