JOHANNESBURG: South African cricket’s extended administrative crisis appeared near at an end on Saturday when Cricket South Africa (CSA)’s interim board hailed an agreement on a new governance structure in which independent directors will be in the majority.

Interim board chairman Stavros Nicolaou said a formal memorandum of incorporation would be adopted at an annual general meeting, at a date to be announced.

The interim board was appointed last October after the previous board resigned.

Their resignation followed the firing of former chief executive Thabang Moroe, a damning forensic report into maladministration at CSA and pressure from sponsors and the players’ association.

But the members’ council, consisting of provincial presidents, refused to accept the principle of a majority of directors, prompting an ultimatum by sports minister Nathi Mthethwa.

He threatened to become directly involved, which could have jeopardised South Africa’s standing with the International Cricket Council.

Mthethwa twice extended a deadline for the members’ council before announcing on Saturday that the “two main sticking points have now been successfully resolved”, with the council agreeing to the principle of an independent chairperson and a majority of independent board members.

Mthethwa said it was now up to the interim board and the members’ council to finalise the details of the agreement.

CSA usually holds its annual general meeting in September but it did not take place in 2020 because of the problems in the organisation.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2021