Salieg Nackerdien: Reluctant to say CPL might not be best way forward

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Salieg Nackerdien.Salieg Nackerdien.

Posted By: Editorial October 18, 2022

Western Province head coach Salieg Nackerdien has suggested the Western Province Cricket Association prioritise provincial and club competition over the Cape Premier League.

The Cape Premier League is an amateur tournament which precedes the provincial and club season. It started in 2019 and features eight teams, some of which field club cricketers alongside provincially-contracted players.

Batsman Jonathan Bird has been sidelined from Western Province’s T20 Challenge campaign, after reportedly aggravating a pre-existing injury while playing for the West Coast Outlaws in the 2022 CPL.

As a precautionary measure, Western Province batsman Daniel Smith was withdrawn from the District Sixers’ CPL final against the Devil’s Peak Dragons. The Dragons won the final.

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What Nackerdien said

“Jono’s injury was quite a shock. Although we wanted him to have game time, and not that I said he couldn’t play in the CPL, but I have heard a lot over the past couple of months about whether guys should be playing in the CPL,” said Nackerdien.

“In terms of where the CPL was going to fit in, my biggest concern was around whether club cricket would be neglected and where the emphasis was going to be.

“I feel that if the guys are not earning anything and are just playing for the sake of playing, you want to give them a bit of game time and exposure.

“But I’m reluctant to say that the CPL might not be the best way forward and we need to focus on our club cricket. Colts cricket is no longer, so the gap is quite big.

“It’s crucial that we sustain our club cricket. Our emphasis has to be on our club cricket because that is our feeder system.”

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