Smith set to become SA’s director of cricket
● Two weeks to prepare for first Test
Former Test captain Graeme Smith is set to become Cricket SA’s director of cricket this week, according to CSA president Chris Nenzani, but SA cricket’s crisis continued, with Nenzani and his remaining board members refusing to heed calls to resign.
Tony Irish, CEO of the SA Cricketers Association (Saca), which called on Friday for Nenzani and the entire board to resign, said in a tweet: “Appalled that the president and board of CSA have taken no responsibility for cricket’s biggest crisis. Now clinging to power.”
Asked for clarification, Irish described his tweet as “my initial reaction”.
He said Saca was likely to give a detailed response on Sunday or Monday.
Nenzani said that he had spoken to Smith on Saturday morning.
“I am happy to announce that we have engaged Graeme Smith and I am confirming that by next week Wednesday all of the negotiations around the contract terms that need to take place, will have been concluded,” Nenzani, said.
He was speaking after a special board meeting of CSA, after a week of crisis for the organisation.
If Smith agrees to take the job, he will have just over two weeks to put a selection panel and coaching staff in place before the first of four Tests against England, starting in Centurion on December 26.
Despite calls for their resignation, Nenzani said the board had been mandated by the organisation’s members’ council
— made up of presidents of the 14 provincial affiliates —“to continue to guide us through this period and turn it around”.
Saturday’s press conference came after a tumultuous week during which five leading journalists had their accreditation withdrawn, a major sponsor announced it would not renew its agreement with CSA, and CEO Thabang Moroe was suspended on charges of misconduct.
Nenzani said a lack of trust in Moroe by Smith was a factor in negotiations that had been conducted sporadically over a period of three months.
Several prominent individuals, as well as the Gauteng cricket board and Saca, called for the board to resign.
However, Nenzani said the issue had not been raised at a meeting of the members’ council in a meeting which started on Friday evening and continued until the early hours of Saturday.
He brushed off the resignations of three of the board’s five independent directors.
“We thank them for their service and will engage in a process to fill the vacancies,” he said.
Nenzani said the respected Jacques Faul, CEO of the Northerns cricket union and a former acting CEO of CSA, had agreed to again become the acting CEO with immediate effect and he will be assisted by former ICC chief Dave Richardson. —