Cricket South Africa (CSA) have announced changes to their management structure that will also see the departure of head coach Ottis Gibson, whose contract is set to expire in September.
Gibson, a former West Indian seamer, took over as South Africa’s head coach in 2017 on a two-year contract. Under his tutelage, the team enjoyed success in home Test series’ against India, Australia and Pakistan. He also oversaw away ODI series wins in Sri Lanka and Australia. A loss in Test series at home and away to Sri Lanka preceded their disappointing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 campaign. The Proteas won only three out of their nine matches in the World Cup and were never in the hunt for the semi-finals.
“Members of [the current] team management, including the various assistant cricket coaches, will not be retained as part of the forthcoming plan,” CSA said in a press release on Sunday, 4 August.
The CSA plan is to adopt a football-style management structure, wherein they will appoint a team manager, who will select his own coaching staff and captains in the three formats of the game. The medical staff and administrative staff will also report to them, who in turn will report to the director of cricket, working under the chief executive.
CSA’s manager of cricket pathways, Corrie van Zyl will assume the position of acting director of cricket until the position is filled. Van Zyl, along with Chief Executive Thabang Moroe, will appoint an interim management team, selection panel and captain for the tour of India, which begins in September.
“This change will herald an exciting new era for the SA cricket and will bring us into line with best practice in professional sport,” CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe said.
“I must stress that the new structure was not a rash decision. It was taken after much deliberation by the Board, taking all the factors into consideration about the current state of our cricket and also the plan that we need to get to within the timelines we have set.
Moroe further thanked Gibson and the other supporting staff for their valuable contribution towards South Africa cricket. “I would like to thank Ottis Gibson, other members of the team’s current senior management, and our long-serving team manager, Dr. (Mohammed) Moosajee, for their national service to South African cricket,” he added.
Source: Press Release from ICC
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