Still no clarity on Ottis Gibson’s future
The plot around Ottis Gibson’s possible return to England is thickening‚ what with one of his former charges there voicing dressingroom support for that development.
Faf du Plessis‚ too‚ has left no doubt that Gibson has added significant value to the South African environment.
But Gibson’s employers‚ Cricket SA‚ have yet to say whether they have taken note of the situation. Instead‚ they have left him publicly‚ at least with no option but to believe he will need a new job if SA do not win the World Cup.
Gibson‚ who has had two stints as England s bowling coach‚ has been SA’s’head coach since September 2017.
But‚ according to a report in the UK Sunday Times at the weekend‚ he is “understood to be keen on returning to the England set-up this time as head coach after Trevor Bayliss’ contract expires in September.
On Monday SA’s team management denied‚ on Gibson’s behalf‚ that he has had discussions with the England Cricket Board.
On Wednesday the England team’s communications head‚ Danny Rubin‚ told Business Day from the Caribbean: “We will definitely not comment on newspaper speculation.
“There are no foundations whatsoever to this story. There is nothing further to say on the coaching set-up with the England men’s cricket team.”
Not that the smoke from what could be a fire will be blown away quite so easily.
“I know he’s had two short spells with England and the guys really rate him and trust him‚ I guess‚” England fast bowler Mark Wood told the BBC on Tuesday. “Trust is a major quality to have he’s [Gibson] been head coach of the West Indies [and] SA‚ so I’m sure he’d be a good candidate for England in the future if he was to put his name in the hat.”
Wood knows of whence he speaks: Gibson was the bowling coach for the first 31 of the 51 games he has played for England in all formats.
Fifty-one is also how many games Gibson has held the reins with SA; time enough for Du Plessis to pass judgment.
“If Ottis is still keen to do it the team would still love him on board‚” Du Plessis told reporters during the one-day series against Pakistan. “The team really work well under him. From a captain’s point of view I’ve really enjoyed working with him.
“Our styles are very similar‚ our dressing room is very calm. I think that is important in international cricket.”
Much of the above would not carry as much weight had Cricket SA CEO Thabang Moroe not told reporters in Johannesburg recently that Gibson had been hired “purely to win the World Cup” in England from May to July.
“As it stands his contract states he has to win the World Cup‚” Moroe reiterated.
What could that mean besides that Gibson will be unemployed if a team who have never won the World Cup get over the line this time? “The board is still in discussion regarding the coach’s contract and once a call is made we’ll communicate to the media‚” Moroe said on Wednesday.
In fairness to Moroe‚ his assertion in January might have been a warning to Cricket SA’s often misty-minded board that they had better find clarity on Gibson’s position sooner rather than later.
What did Gibson think of what Moroe said in January?
“With regards to the comments‚ I have no comments on the comments‚” Gibson told reporters after the recent ODIs against Pakistan.
That does not tell us much‚ but he will know that his predecessor‚ Russell Domingo‚ said he was not sure where his next pay cheque was coming from mere weeks before Gibson’s appointment was announced.
Domingo now works in Cricket SA’s high performance structures and serves as coach of the SA A team.
His Cricket SA cookie crumbled better than Ray Jennings’‚ who was discarded less than eight weeks after returning home in triumph having coached SA all the way to glory at the 2014 under-19 World Cup.
So even lifting the trophy at Lord’s on July 14 might not be enough to keep Gibson in a SA tracksuit.
If he does not already‚ he would do well to understand exactly who and what he is dealing with.
And to plan accordingly.