South Africa coach Russell Domingo did go through a tough time when he saw his team lose in semi-finals of 2015 World Cup. The results were not great thereafter as the Proteas lost 3-0 to India and 2-1 to England at home.
The below par performances by South Africa made public question the ability of Domingo. However, the coach managed to turn the tide over the past year and South Africa’s results in the last six months or so are a clear reflection of that.
A 5-0 ODI series win against Australia followed by 2-1 series win in Australia and another 3-0 whitewash to Sri Lanka recently meant the Proteas are going in right direction.
“I had to go. Not this person, or that person … I had to go,” Domingo remembers the public outcry at the time.
Domingo, in a media interaction, provided certain reasons why the public was angry with the team’s performances.
“I was saying to someone the other day, and I am not comparing, but South African cricket has got more challenges than most other nations in the world,” he said.
“That’s the truth. In terms of finances, in terms of Kolpaks, in terms of the make up of the team. That’s just the way it is.
“Other teams maybe don’t have to deal with it … teams like England.
“Yet, we always tend to find ourselves in the top three more times than not.
“There’s a lot to be appreciative of about the way South African cricket operates and the way the players go about their business. Not many teams face the sort of challenges we face. Maybe the public at times just expect you to be No 1 at absolutely everything.”
Domingo, who was appointed as the coach of South African cricket team in 2013, has seen the tough side of losing and is currently not carried away with the success of the team.
“I could go tomorrow. Nothing is certain,” he said, bluntly.
“I by no means look too far ahead in my coaching career. I take it one series at a time. You never know what’s around the corner in coaching.”
However, Domingo has revealed that he is close to his players as they are comfortable with him.
“I’ve always felt that the support that I’ve got from the players is the most important thing,” he said.
“If you’ve still got the support of the players, that’s all that matters. I’ve always felt I had that.
“It’s out of my control, what happens, happens,” he concluded.