Gary Kirsten is South Africa’s Cricket Coach after Successful Stint with India

��

� If the appointment of AB de Villiers did not raise any eyebrows, the announcement that Gary Kirsten is the new South African cricket coach was already a foregone conclusion.

Gary Kirsten, SA coach with Allan Donald, Russell Domingo

���� One had only to see the desperate look in the eye of South African cricket administration when India toured South Africa prior to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 to realize that South Africa had spotted a good thing, albeit after Kirsten was tested in Indian conditions, to know they did not want to lose him a second time. It seemed only appropriate that the confirmation that Kirsten was planning to quit his role as the Indian coach after three years came in South Africa through Mahendra Singh Dhoni himself.

���� Cricket South Africa have been so eager to have Gary Kirsten back in South African cricket that they had even left a door open despite the fact that Kirsten had allegedly not even dropping his coaching application within the stipulated time. It was further stated that the reason Cricket South Africa delayed the interviews to mid May and thereafter, the announcement to June was to give Kirsten the appointment to make his decision after relaxed thought and reasoning, particularly given that Kirsten quit his Indian job to be closer to his family and also, because his wife is expectant with the couple’s third child.

���� Gary Kirsten has now been appointed as the South African coach for two years and his assistant coach is Russell Domingo who coached the local South African team, the Warriors. Interesting, Allan Donald joins as the South African bowling coach, making the trio the homegrown coaching staff for the team. It should be a good thing that two former successful cricketers for South Africa should take over the coaching roles because they would know more than anyone else what makes great teams and also, what teams have lacked in the past from achieving the pinnacle of success despite having the wherewithal to do it.

���� That a coach needed to be appointed for South Africa was imminent from the perspective that Corrie van Zyl was stepping down at the end of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 irrespective of the result and he was an interim coach after the sudden resignation of Mickey Arthur under extenuating circumstances revolving South African cricket.

���� With Kirsten having taken India to the top of the ICC Test rankings and getting them to achieve the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 after twenty-eight years gap, South Africa needed a man of his mettle to push them to that final step up the ladder. Having seen what Kirsten has done for India, it is little wonder that Cricket South Africa have been trailing the man closely to ensure that Kirsten stays away from any possible enticing offers although the latter has never alluded to being approached and often reiterated wanting to take time.

���� What seems interesting is that Kirsten appears rather enthused by the opportunity, despite the reasoning in the recent past, and there also seems to be a sense of excitement at the opportunity to being most comfortable in his own den back in South Africa. In Donald, the team should develop more teeth to go with talent and it is not necessarily a bad thing for a change to have a South African establishment challenging and strengthening the South African team. Such are the great expectations in the announcement.