The process by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to find a replacement for coach Mark Boucher starts in earnest this week with the headache of whether to go for an interim or permanent appointment for the Test tour of Australia at the end of the year.
Boucher, who has since been appointed the coach of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians with effect from next year, will vacate his position as Proteas coach after the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November.
The final of the World Cup is on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) and the first of three Tests between SA and Australia is scheduled for Brisbane in mid-December.
CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said they may not have had enough time to make a full-time appointment by the time they take on Australia. The situation is compounded by the fact that the domestic season starts with the T20 Challenge next month to be followed by the Four-Day Series in November and the One-Day Cup in December, where local coaches will be busy.
Asked to explain how the recruitment process would unfold, Moseki said he would be meeting with director of cricket (DOC) Enock Nkwe this week to get the ball rolling, but his initial thinking was that there would be an interim coach, given the time constraints.
Boucher will vacate his position as Proteas coach after the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia in October and November
“I am meeting with the DOC this week to get the plans as to what he wants. The two alternatives are: do we have enough time to appoint someone permanently, or do we get someone on an interim basis for that tour of Australia and possibly the incoming tour of England in January,” said Moseki.
“Those are the options that he [Nkwe] will be presenting to me next week.”
Lance Klusener, Geoffrey Toyana, Ashwell Prince, Robin Peterson, Imraan Khan, Wandile Gwavu, Malibongwe Maketa and Mandla Mashimbyi are local names that have been touted as possible replacements.
“I don’t want to overstep by talking about whether it will be a local or overseas coach, I will leave it to the DOC to deal with. For me, the most important part is do we go permanent or do we go interim? That is the key thing for now,” said Moseki, adding that they will avoid issues similar to when Boucher was appointed by Graeme Smith which was found by the SJN hearings to have been flawed.
“We will obviously be looking to avoid those issues that happened with the previous appointment, which caused consternation.
"Because Australia happens immediately after the World Cup, chances are that we may come up with an interim solution up until the end of the season while we start with the process of appointing a more permanent incumbent — but the DOC will give me direction on this.”
On the issue of Boucher’s shock resignation, Moseki admitted they were surprised but he was thankful that it was not with immediate effect. “Obviously there were a number of challenges and it was a very difficult time for him over the last few months.
“We were hoping he would stay until the end of his contract but clearly it was an offer he could not refuse. It could have been a disaster if it was with immediate effect. Imagine going to the World Cup with a new or interim coach?”
During the recent Test tour of England, the Proteas struggled with the bat and Moseki said this was something Nkwe and the new coach would address. “Let’s be fair and do it by formats,” he said.
“Somehow in the Test format they have been struggling but we will all agree that in white ball cricket they have been an improvement. There is clearly a problem with the batting in Test cricket, but it is something the DOC and whoever is going to be the coach will have to take into account and deal with.”
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