AB fiasco exposes CSA's frailties
How about the panic stations that went off around Cricket South Africa (CSA) this week as AB De Villiers hinted at retirement?
|||Woah, but how about the panic stations that went off around Cricket South Africa (CSA) this week as arguably the planet’s most popular cricketer hinted at retirement.
Whatever the public statements, this was a case of very poor management by CSA and the national teamâ’s coaching staff. The fact that news about AB de Villiers considering retirement leaked and then the very unconvincing remarks by the player himself about wanting to decrease his workload in a TV interview, certainly illustrates a dressing-room where not everyone sees eye-to-eye.
Make no mistake, these are difficult times for the South African team.
That the team is undergoing a transition is not in question. The last time such major changes were taking place were when England toured here in 2004/05. Back then De Villiers and Dale Steyn made their debuts, Hashim Amla was only playing his third Test, Thami Tsolekile his second and Zander de Bruyn was in the middle order.
Some selection decisions 11 seasons ago looked confusing, too - remember De Villiers batted in three different positions in his debut series and was wicketkeeper in two Tests. South Africa used three different keepers in that series. They lost 2-1 to Michael Vaughan’s side.
So, South Africa has been here before. The worry is that the team should be here at all. While Graeme Smith’s retirement came as a shock, the fact is there has been plenty of time to better identify and then integrate players particularly into the Test team.
Worse still, as the De Villiers affair this week showed, the senior players seem unsure about the demands being placed on them during a very busy period in the schedule.
There is a lot of pressure on Russell Domingo to oversee this process and his task isn’t being made easier under the glare of two of the most high-profile series’ South Africa can play - last month’s one against India - and the current battle with England.
Apparently, management will hold talks with De Villiers - and presumably other senior players - at the end of the season.
Why that wasn’t done before the India tour is strange, but South Africa can ill-afford for there to be so much misunderstanding about roles with so much important cricket being played currently and still to come over the coming weeks and months.
Domingo is under the spotlight like never before.
An affable man with a deep knowledge of the game, it is his man management skills that will face the greatest scrutiny in the short-term. – The Star