Proteas skipper AB de Villiers has garnered under numerous coaches in his international career. Two of them – Corrie van Zyl and Gary Kirsten – left because of disappointments in ICC tournaments, the 2011 World Cup and 2013’s Champions Trophy, respectively. He hopes that it doesn’t happen with Russell Domingo in this current campaign.
“We’re with a great coach at the moment who is really leading the side well,” said De Villiers ahead of Wednesday’s meeting in Birmingham with Pakistan. We all get along with him and we all love him as our coach.”
Domingo’s future after the tour of England is still uncertain after Cricket South Africa (CSA) last month announced they’ve formally advertised the position for the head coach. The governing body insists they’ve had to do so to comply with South African labour law but have encouraged Domingo to re-apply.
While Domingo has not confirmed whether he would re-apply for the job, he has enjoyed universal support from his players in the media. When CSA announced that Domingo’s position was up for grabs, de Villiers said that it was a “bitter pill to swallow” because Domingo was “like family”.
Arthur was in charge of the Proteas for a relatively fruitful period from mid-2005 to early 2010. Ironically, early elimination from 2009’s Champions Trophy at home was one of the major factors that led to him lose his spot. But De Villiers was reluctant to make any comparisons between Arthur and Domingo.
“They’re completely different. Obviously different human beings. Both very nice guys, really good men and I get along with both of them,” he said. “Mickey, it’s such a long time ago. I can’t remember his coaching style really. We had a lot of success under him, and I have good memories of him as a coach with us. But that’s long gone. It’s something in the past.”
The opinion of the players is likely to be taken into account when the CSA panel assess candidates for the post, but the success of the South African team in England will also be a factor.
Domingo is the only coach to guide South Africa through a knockout match at a major tournament.
