Domingo handed Proteas’ reins
No-brainer for top cricketing brass
RATIONALITY hasn’t been associated with Cricket South Africa (CSA) too often in the last three years – just go and look at disgraced former chief executive Gerald Majola’s fate and the recycled nature of the new decision-making body.
But they did get it right when they essentially begged Gary Kirsten to become head coach in June 2011 and they got it right again with his successor – the genial, hard-working current assistant coach Russell Domingo, who was unveiled on Saturday.
The initial circumstances surrounding his appointment looked like another example of muddled CSA thinking after acting CEO Nassei Appiah remarked that “due process” would be followed in terms of the succession plan. But, in the end, it turned out to be a slightly clumsy stalling tactic.
Domingo had already been offered the job by lunchtime on Friday, a few hours before Kirsten called a press conference to confirm the end of his tenure.
“On Friday, I was the only one on the board who knew Gary wasn’t renewing his contract,” said CSA chairman Chris Nenzani.
“I had to brief them properly and go through a discussion process. When we made the call, Gary’s press conference had already been called. The officials who were there weren’t actually aware what was taking place at the board meeting. They were obviously surprised when we told them we’d made the call on the new coach.”
The value of promotion within the current hierarchy need not be discussed at length – it’s assumed that an assistant coach in a national team is the next-best equipped to guide those players.
But the interesting dimension to Domingo’s appointment is his credentials.
The 38-year-old is the first Proteas coach to have never played cricket at any significant level – even Graham Ford, who was in charge between mid-1999 to mid-2002, played seven matches for Natal ‘B’.
Domingo realised at an early age that he wouldn’t cut it as a first-class cricketer and instead went straight into coaching.
He received his first coaching qualification at 22 and has been at it for 16 years now.
In fact, Domingo’s greatest trait as a coach is that he realised his road to credibility would be more arduous than some of his compatriots who were players too.
“You’ll get people who have a grievance with that,” he shrugged.
“Playing and coaching are two totally different scenarios. I’ve developed a good rapport with the players, and I’ve gone through all the stages a coach needs to go through. Rightfully so, because I don’t have the playing credentials.”
Domingo coached the SA Under-19s, the Warriors and, now, at international level – impressive for a man the parochial, who value some kind of playing record, will scoff at.
Importantly, he has the backing of his core senior players.
“I made calls to all the players, whether in SA, England or India, to let them know the decision and get their thoughts on it. All of them were confident in me, which was great to hear. This is a very big day in my life,” said Domingo.
He will be more analytical – his statistical memory is remarkable – than the free- thinking Kirsten though the proverbial management credentials are also in place.
During the Warriors’ domestic double in 2009/10, he seamlessly integrated men like Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Ashwell Prince at vital stages of their campaign.
A support staff debate will rear its head in the coming weeks but for now, he still needs to actually discuss the terms of his contract … and be the deputy until August.