Smith steps out, Nosworthy steps up
● In the aftermath of Graeme Smith’s withdrawal from Cricket SA’s director of cricket race this week, the experienced David Nosworthy has emerged as one of the candidates for the critical position.
The Sunday Times understands that the 51-year-old former Border and Northern Transvaal (Northerns) first-class cricketer not only applied for the position, but was interviewed alongside former Proteas national team selector Hussein Manack and suspended CSA employee Corrie van Zyl, who was acting as the director of cricket, and former national team captain Smith.
Smith, who holds the record for the most Test matches as an international captain while also playing in 117 Tests, 197 ODIs and 33 T20s, cited a “lack of confidence” in the administration as one of the reasons for withdrawing from the race.
CSA CE Thabang Moroe said Nosworthy was interviewed last week and the board would meet this week for recommendations for the preferred candidate.
“Yes, Dave Nosworthy was one of the candidates who was interviewed last week. Now that the interviews are done, we have to make recommendations to the board and propose a name. Our aim is to have the position filled by December 1,” Moroe said.
Nosworthy, who is the director of cricket at the Illovo-based Catholic private school, St Davids Marist Inanda, comes across as the most suitably qualified candidate for the position.
Nosworthy, who celebrates his birthday on Christmas Day and who played the last of his 29 first-class games in the 1995/96 season, has been in the coaching ranks since the turn of the millennium.
He has had coaching stints with the Titans, where he was a serial trophy winner, and a less successful stint with the Highveld Lions, where he reached two domestic T20 finals. He’s also coached the SA A side and the national under-19 side.
The critical matter regarding Nosworthy, whose phone rang unanswered, is the director of cricket experience that he gained during a stint with English county cricket side Somerset. The position, a common one in schools cricket across SA, is a novel one in elite cricket in SA.
However, he did not see out his contract with Somerset when he left at the end of the 2014 season with a year left on his deal.
At the time Somerset, who have not won the county championship since 1895, were competing very well in the red-ball competition but their white-ball standards had slipped.
Moroe said Smith’s withdrawal from the process did not change anything as the position was close to being filled.
There is pressure on CSA, which is fighting wars on many fronts, to make the appointment as England will be arriving soon.
England are already in New Zealand for a short tour, with the first Test starting this week.
“We’re already done with the process so it doesn’t change much to be honest.
“Since we’ve highlighted Smith’s intention not to take part, the board and the human resources chairperson have to be notified and in terms if the next step, I'll be guided by them,” Moroe said.