Nathi Mthethwa, the South Africa sports minister, has asked the members' council of Cricket South Africa (CSA) to recognise the interim board "immediately", and warned the body that if it failed to do so, he would use his statutory powers to intervene in the matter. He would "not hesitate to impose the sanctions available" under the country's National Sport and Recreation Act, Mthethwa said. The act gives Mthethwa the power to withdraw from funding CSA and strip it of its status as the governing body of cricket in the country.

If Mthethwa were to intervene, his actions could be regarded as government interference, which is prohibited by the ICC and could cause further sanctions for South Africa. Mthethwa has, however, looped the ICC in on all his communications to CSA so far, including his decision last month to step in as requested by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC), which reached a standoff with CSA over the same issue.

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CSA has been plagued by governance-related issues since September 2017, when it parted ways with former CEO Haroon Lorgat following the failure to launch the now-defunct Global T20 League. That tournament, and the reasons that it did not take place, formed part of the forensic report that CSA commissioned earlier this year, which was used to fire Lorgat's successor Thabang Moroe for financial misconduct.

Lorgat is part of the current interim board and his presence has caused the greatest apprehension among the members' council, which has cited a conflict of interest in having Lorgat on board.

Mthethwa clarified that Lorgat would recuse himself from all discussions relating to the Global T20 League and that the interim board remained a robust and credible body that should continue its work. The minister said that he had been impressed with the "speed, vigour, passion and independence" of the interim board, and believed they would complete their task within three months, if they receive the co-operation of the members' council.

More to follow…