The 2021–22 CSA 4-Day Series was a first-class cricket competition that took place in South Africa from October 2021 to March 2022.[1][2] It was the first edition of the post-franchise era, and the first edition to return to a two-division league format. Domestic cricketing reforms were introduced in 2020 that discontinued the six franchise team format, and announced a return to the more traditional provincial based system. Fifteen teams, split over the two divisions, now compete in the 4-Day Series.
| Dates | 29 October 2021 – 7 March 2022 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Cricket South Africa |
| Cricket format | First-class |
| Tournament format(s) | Single round-robin |
| Champions | Titans (6th title) |
| Participants | 15 |
| Matches | 49 |
| Most runs | Div 1: Pieter Malan (601) Div 2: Jason Niemand (590) |
| Most wickets | Div 1: Simon Harmer (44) Div 2: Thomas Kaber (35) |
In Division 1, five of the six teams who competed in the 2020–21 CSA 4-Day Franchise Series opted to retain their franchise brand, with only the former Cape Cobras reverting to their traditional Western Province name. They were joined in Division 1 by Boland and North West. Matches featuring either Limpopo or Mpumalanga, both in Division 2, do not have first-class status.[3] Dolphins are the defending champions.[4]
In November 2021, in the Division 2 match between South Western Districts and Easterns, Sean Whitehead took all ten wickets in the second innings for South Western Districts,[5] recording the second-best figures in a domestic first-class match in South Africa.[6][7] Following positive tests for COVID-19, all of the Division 2 matches scheduled to start on 2 December 2021 were postponed.[8] The next round of matches, all scheduled to start on 16 December 2021, were also postponed due to COVID-19 concerns.[9]
The tournament came down to the final day, with the Titans taking the lead from the Warriors after victory in their match against the Lions, and ultimately securing the title as the Warriors' final match was rained out.[10]
Points Table
editDivision One
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Titans (C) | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 129 |
| Warriors | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 122 |
| Lions | 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 115 |
| Dolphins | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 95 |
| Boland | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 86 |
| Western Province | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 82 |
| Knights | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 78 |
| North West | 7 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 39 |
(C) Champion
Division Two
| Team | Pld | W | L | D | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Cape | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 111 |
| South Western Districts | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 103 |
| KwaZulu-Natal Inland | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 92 |
| Border | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 84 |
| Mpumalanga | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 69 |
| Limpopo | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 63 |
| Easterns | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 58 |
Fixtures
editDivision 1
edit29 October – 1 November 2021
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- Western Province won the toss and elected to field.
- Khaya Zondo (Dolphins) scored his maiden double century in first-class cricket.[11]
29 October – 1 November 2021
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- Boland won the toss and elected to field.
- No play was possible on day 1 due to rain.
- Hlomla Hanabe and Mickey Copeland (Boland) both made their first-class debuts.
29 October – 1 November 2021
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- Warriors won the toss and elected to field.
- Jordan Hermann (Titans) made his first-class debut.
5–8 November 2021
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17/0 (2.1 overs)
Jacques Snyman 15* (9) |
- North West won the toss and elected to field.
- Caleb Seleka (North West) made his first-class debut.
5–8 November 2021
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- Titans won the toss and elected to bat.
- Achille Cloete (Dolphins) made his first-class debut.
18–21 November 2021
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- Dolphins won the toss and elected to bat.
- Odirile Modimokoane (Dolphins) made his first-class debut.
18–21 November 2021
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- Western Province won the toss and elected to field.
- Daniel Smith, Gavin Kaplan and Kieran Kenny (Western Province) all made their first-class debuts.
18–21 November 2021
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- Boland won the toss and elected to bat.
- Siyabonga Mahima (Boland) made his first-class debut.
25–28 November 2021
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- Dolphins won the toss and elected to bat.
- No play was possible on day 3 due to rain.
- Jesse Albanie, Tahir Isaacs (North West), Junaid Syed and Robin Smith (Dolphins) all made their first-class debuts.
25–28 November 2021
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38 (4.5 overs)
Dominic Hendricks 22* (19) |
- Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
25–28 November 2021
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- Titans won the toss and elected to bat.
- No play was possible on day 4 due to rain.
25–28 November 2021
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- Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
- Liyema Waqu (Western Province) made his first-class debut.
13–16 January 2022
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- Western Province won the toss and elected to bat.
- No play was possible on days 3 and 4 due to rain.
- Nathan Roux (Knights) made his first-class debut.
27–30 January 2022
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- Warriors won the toss and elected to bat.
- Rahman Waseem (Dolphins) made his first-class debut.
27–30 January 2022
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- Lions won the toss and elected to field.
- Brad White stood in his 150th first-class match as an on-field umpire.[12]
4–7 March 2022
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- Knights won the toss and elected to bat.
- No play was possible on day 3 due to rain.
- Nhlakanipho Mpungose (Knights) made his first-class debut.
Division 2
edit29 October – 1 November 2021
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- Easterns won the toss and elected to field.
- No play was possible on day 2 due to rain.
- Khaya Nyamathe (Easterns) and Michael Sclanders (KwaZulu-Natal Inland) both made their first-class debuts.
18–21 November 2021
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- South Western Districts won the toss and elected to bat.
- Divan Posthumus (Easterns) made his first-class debut.
13–16 January 2022
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- Northern Cape won the toss and elected to bat.
- Benjamin Van Rensburg, Hanu Viljoen (Northern Cape) and Nhlakanipho Nxumalo (Easterns) all made their first-class debuts.
27–30 January 2022
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30/0 (5.5 overs)
Musawenkosi Twala 17* (20) |
- Mpumalanga won the toss and elected to bat.
17–20 February 2022
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- Easterns won the toss and elected to bat.
- Amaan Khan and Devon Botha (Easterns) both made their first-class debuts.
3–6 March 2022
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References
edit- ^ "4-Day Franchise Series 2021/22". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Lions launch 4-Day Series 'rivalry' against Dragons". Citizen. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Six of the best for Sipamla, Jansen, Magala". Cricbuzz. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ "Dolphins complete spinning masterclass against Titans to be crowned 4-Day champions". News24. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
- ^ "Local bowler claims all 10 wickets in an innings in CSA 4-Day match". The Citizen. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Sean Whitehead picks up all 10 wickets in a first-class innings". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Sean Whitehead: South African bowler takes 10 wickets in an innings of a first-class match". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- ^ "CSA postpones round four of Division 2 four-day matches after Covid-19 cases emerge". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 2 December 2021.
- ^ "CSA 4-day series: Final round of games postponed to 2022". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- ^ Roche, Ross. "Titans seal four-day title on thrilling final day". SuperSport. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
- ^ "Khaya Zondo double century puts Dolphins in charge against Western Province". Independent Online. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
- ^ "Brad White achieve 150 first-class matches milestone". Cricket South Africa. Retrieved 31 January 2022.