The inevitable happened on Saturday: the Titans won the Ram Slam T20. It was their third Twenty20 title in a row, and it was clinched in an even more convincing fashion than the previous two.
RAM SLAM T20
In a sea of bad administration, victorious Titans are an island
The Titans have now won five of the last seven trophies in South African cricket. © Cricket South Africa
Over the course of the competition they lost just two of 12 games - in both cases they fielded a changed team with a home semi-final already in the bag - and in the final, the chasm between the Titans and everyone else was laid bare when they bowled the Dolphins out for 100, then chased the runs in 11.1 overs.
The inevitability of it all was down to one key factor that has largely gone unheralded: the Titans are the best administered franchise in a country where good cricket administration is hard to come by.
Sure, they have nine of the 21 nationally-contracted Proteas players in their ranks, but it is worth asking why this is the case. Players with national contracts are entitled to choose the franchise they want to play for, and it is no coincidence that so many of the current Proteas have ended up at the Titans. Only four of the nine are originally from the region, and with all due respect to Pretoria, it's unlikely that the other five moved to the city for the lifestyle (as is often the case with Cape Town and the Cobras).
The Titans have now won five of the last seven trophies in South African cricket, and as much credit as they deserve for this, it is worth analysing the downfall of their two main contenders over the past five years, the Cobras and the Lions.
The Cobras are still paying for their board's handling of the
