THE Division Two cricket season has reached its conclusion, and the Pietermaritzburg-based Tuskers have secured promotion into Division One cricket having enjoyed a successful season in Division Two.
The Tuskers won all three Division Two competitions this season. They won the CSA T20 Knockout, the One Day Cup and shared the Four-Day Series trophy with the Northern Cape Heat as the final was rained out last week.
KwaZulu-Natal Inland Chief Executive Jason Sathiaseelan told Independent Media that the reason behind their record-breaking season is in the recruitment process they followed ahead of the recently concluded season.
"We didn't just play in Division Two and gained promotion, we dominated Division Two. We got 40 promotion points, and the second team only had 20. That tells you just how well we did in Division Two," said Sathiaseelan.
"I think firstly, from the recruitment process, we were very careful in terms of identifying the skills we need for players that fit our profile.
"Sometimes you may get good players, but players may not have the right attitude to fit into your current set-up.
"The players that we brought in understood the case at Inland, understood what we have, what we may not have compared to other unions and fully supported the union and their total focus was totally on just cricket and nothing else, and I think that is what worked for us."
Due to persistent rain, the ACDC Express Pietermaritzburg Oval saw no winner in the Division 2 #4DaySeries Final ⛈️.
Consequently, the Championship is shared between the ACDC Express Tuskers and Northern Cape Heat to close off the season 🏏🏆. #WozaNawe #BePartOfIt… pic.twitter.com/k7PC2YnmTW
The main mistake that teams who get promoted to Division One make is to change their squads and the Tuskers were guilty of this mistake the first time they were promoted.
Sathiaseelan told Independent Media that they don't have plans to bring in a huge number of new players in the off-season and that they want to back the players that took them to Division One cricket.
"So the players we brought in, we believe have the ability, and they are able to compete and perform in Division One. A lot of them are hungry to play cricket at the highest level, and we believe in their ability to perform," he said.
"We don't really have to go into the exodus of players.
"We believe in the players that played for us in Division Two, and we don't have to bring in too many. But we fully understand, fully respect the fact that it's a big jump from Division Two to Division One cricket.
"Some of our players have had a taste of Division One cricket in the past. Although they were not regulars, they played Division One and performed.
"So they're chomping at the bit to get back and play in Division One. There are certain areas that we want to improve on and we're looking for players that will fit that profile. But it won't be a massive signing-on thing from us."
With the Tuskers set to return to Division One cricket next season, that means the KZN province will now have two teams playing in the country's top-flight competitions alongside the Dolphins.
The cricket teams replicate the success of KZN football, which in recent times boasted five teams in the Premiership.
"For KZN cricket, this is huge. To have two cricket franchises out of eight participating in a competition is massive for KZN. It's something that we embrace," he said.
"Even in football, in the past, there were only one or two teams from KZN that played at the highest level, but now it's a different case. KZN sports is definitely on the up. We fully embrace that, and we're glad to be part of that."