The Proteas men are awaiting the recommendations of Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) Cricket Committee to determine how squads and teams are selected in the future.
CSA’s board asked the Cricket Committee, which is chaired by independent director and former Proteas opener Andrew Hudson, to consider the merits of returning to a panel selecting Proteas squads.
Director of cricket Enoch Nkwe submitted his plan to the committee, based on a panel structure, which would be a return to the old method of selection.
Since their appointments last year, the two men’s coaches, Shukri Conrad (Test) and Rob Walter (ODIs and T20s), have been solely responsible for picking their respective squads. They have consulted widely with provincial coaches to keep them abreast of any new players coming through the system, but have had the final say when it comes to the composition of the respective squads.
“It was an interim process and was, therefore, always set for review around the 18-month mark,” said CSA’s board chairperson Lawson Naidoo. “We’ve passed it to the Cricket Committee and will discuss it at the next board meeting in August.”
Before Conrad and Walter, a panel made up of between three and five members — often including the coach — would select squads and the final team to take to the field. However, players were apparently unhappy with that policy, as it created an environment that allowed mixed messaging.
It was a topic that arose at the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings three years ago, where players expressed confusion when seeking information about why they were dropped and what they needed to do to be considered for selection again.
The policy in place since February last year was seen as simpler, with players able to call up Conrad or Walter if they had any concerns. It’s a process that Nkwe borrowed from other sports, notably club football, but which has also been employed by the Springboks, where Rassie Erasmus picks the team.
At domestic level, the Titans have given successive coaches sole responsibility for selecting their teams, and they have consistently been the most successful provincial team in the country.
However, at the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins, teams are still picked by a panel. As one official remarked: “It depends on the kind of environment you have.”
Those within CSA circles who are backing the coaches to remain as sole selectors, have pointed to the Proteas record in the last two World Cup tournaments where the team exceeded expectations, reaching the semifinal of the ODI competition in India last year, and then the final of this year’s T20 World Cup — the first time the men’s team had reached the final of an ICC event.
Over the course of those two tournaments, the Proteas won 15 out of 19 matches, making a strong argument for the interim selection process to remain in place.
Those arguing against it want a wider range of voices involved in selection and believing it would also help in bringing younger players through.
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