Gibson opts for coaching clean out
Langeveldt out, while Birrell and others could also soon be jobless
THE Proteas will have a new-look technical team when they take on Zimbabwe in the once-off four-day test match on Boxing Day in Port Elizabeth. Coach Ottis Gibson confirmed yesterday that he had submitted his wish-list to Cricket South Africa (CSA) and he would double up as the bowling coach‚ taking over from Charl Langeveldt.
Assistant coach Adrian Birrell‚ specialist spin bowling coach Claude Henderson and batting consultant Neil McKenzie are also going to be jobless as Gibson makes changes.
“There are likely to be new faces‚” Gibson said‚ indicating that some of the people he wants to work with are from overseas.
“I am going to do the fast bowling myself and I have spoken to Charl Langeveldt and CSA about that.
“I have given CSA my wish-list‚ if you like‚ of people who I feel could come in and add value to the Proteas.
“Over the past five weeks while we were playing‚ I was talking to various other people around the country to get opinions.
“There are names of people from overseas and others are local.
“It is people who I believe can do the job for cricket in the country.
“In terms of the size of the technical team‚ cricket is about batting‚ bowling and fielding.
“So I’ll do the bowling myself‚ then there will be a batting coach and assistant coach and fielding coach.
“Bowling has always been my speciality and having spoken to Charl, he fully understands the situation.
“I am also in discussion with CSA about other key positions which I believe will make a difference to coaching in this country in terms of having elite coaches.”
Gibson also said that with tough incoming tours of India and Australia in the new year‚ it was important to get senior players like Dale Steyn‚ Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel in good shape.
“We have four or five players still missing and that remains a concern because fitness is something that we will have to look at going forward.
“It is not easy when you have that many players injured.
“We have started to look at that already to see how we can work around it‚” he said, adding that he was happy that players would be playing franchise cricket in preparation for the long summer ahead. “Everybody will be playing franchise cricket in the coming weeks, even though it is T20s.
“I have asked all the players to keep tabs on their fitness levels and the guys who are going to be in the test series.
“We are having a game against Zimbabwe in December which will give us nice preparation going into the India and Australia series.”