Sort sorry saga of Proteas’ coach

SPORT goes in cycles. That’s just the nature of it. Teams reach the top of the mountain before tumbling down. Then the uphill climb starts again. The Proteas are just the latest example. A few months ago, they set off for England with high hopes of achieving a notable “double” – winning the Champions Trophy and beating England in the Test series.

Instead they flew home battling turbulence, which is still making their lives uncomfortable. First they crashed out of the Champions Trophy, raising all the old “choking” accusations again. Then they were beaten 3-1 in the Test series. Kagiso Rabada was banned for a Test, Vernon Philander struggled with his fitness, the batting collapsed like a pack of cards and captain Faf du Plessis did not seem to have the sure leadership touch he had earlier in the series.

If all that wasn’t enough, there has been a sorry saga surrounding the coach. Shortly before the tour ended, rumours surfaced that Otis Gibson would take over from Russell Domingo, even though Domingo made it clear that he would reapply for the job.

There was no confirmation from Cricket South Africa (CSA), and so the rumours became stronger.

Then on Thursday, Du Plessis said the team had been told that Gibson had been recommended to CSA as the new coach.

Once again, no word or comment from CSA. He insisted that the coaching puzzle was not distracting the team, but the issue goes deeper than that. It is a question of respect and the right way to go about things.Domingo deserves better treatment. The coaching saga needs to be sorted out in a professional, transparent manner.

The sooner that is done, and the sooner there is bit more clarity on whether AB de Villiers really can “pick and choose”, the sooner the Proteas can focus on fixing their game.