Cricket’s administrators in South Africa have copped an unwieldy burden of criticism over the years — most of it sadly deserved. The Thabang Moroe years were a gruesome reminder that nepotism and personal agendas can jeopardise even the largest organisations with the appointment of a CEO neither qualified nor adequately experienced to lead Cricket South Africa.So, it’s only right to point out their attempts to do the right thing in the “new era”. At a precarious time in the game’s history when international friends and income are required more than ever to safeguard an uncertain future, it is vital that the game’s guardians are gracious hosts and do whatever they can to maximise revenue.When tickets went on sale on Monday for the Protea men’s bumper summer ahead, it was important that some were reserved for the hoards of big-spending England supporters who will make their way to the country for the marquee Test matches on Boxing Day in Centurion and the flagship match at Newlands to start the year.A New Year Test match under Table Mountain is a lifetime bucket-list ambition for thousands of cricket lovers worldwide. Last season’s Test-free summer heightened the desire of many England fans to make the trip to the sunshine of the Cape to support their team and escape the northern winter.It was quite right that tickets were set aside for our visitors; we need their pounds in our economy, and it’s worth putting up with their endless chanting and sunburnt faces. But CSA went the extra mile. They sold them all the tickets. All of them. They didn’t bother with the fripperies of a token 500 for the local market or even the gesture of a couple of hundred for those desperate South Africans poised over their keyboards before 9.30am, when the website went live to the public.When the website did open, there were none there. For the entirety of the first four days. Yet, perhaps they weren’t all reserved for the tourists because, by 9.45am, the first batch had already appeared on the resale website Viagogo. By the end of the day, they had a “street value” of more than £300.In December last year CSA launched “SA Cricket Travel” and proudly announced it would “offer fans, corporates and various stakeholders a chance to experience watching the Proteas live wherever they play around the world”. Except in Cape Town when the Proteas are playing England.At 11.45am CSA issued a statement clarifying the situation. It said all the tickets for Newlands had been sold. “Thank you to every fan who secured their seat. There’s still time to get your tickets for all the other matches taking place across the country this coming summer.“SA Cricket Travel is designed to take fans to the heart of the game. To feel the passion, energy and spirit of the sport loved by millions whenever the Proteas take the field. More than just a travel service, it offers once-in-a-lifetime cricket experiences that connect supporters to the legacy of the Proteas.” Or not.The hundreds of Capetonian families and kids for whom the New Year Test is an annual pilgrimage will just have to make do with the Test against Australia at end-October and maybe skip a few days of school. They’ll get over it. An unfortunate but small price to pay for maximising revenue in these troubled times.An inquiry to look into who, exactly, sold the tickets to whom — and whether there was any commission involved — would seem reasonable. But there are enough commissions of inquiry taking place in the real world for cricket to trouble itself with irrelevant matters of integrity involving mere match tickets. The game has made great strides in rebuilding its battered reputation, so it’s best we just move on and watch the game on television.Clarification was sought from CSA on Monday, and a reply was said to be forthcoming but had not been received by the time of publication.