Gary Kristen and Graeme Smith to take up CSA roles as cricket crisis continues
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As the cricket crisis in South Africa grows even deeper, Cricket South Africa is trying its best that neither players nor national team’s performance are affected due to it. While Gary Kristen is set to be roped in as the mentor of men’s side as Graeme Smith is taunted to be the director of cricket.
As the crisis rages on in the organisational setup of Cricket South Africa (CSA), the governing body seems to be trying its best to limit the damage and restrict it from spreading to the players. While vying to better the situation, CSA is looking towards the former players to lend a hand.
It is confirmed that the board has approached Gary Kirsten to take up a mentoring role in the South Africa national side to help interim coach Enoch Nkwe. Further, according to a Cricbuzz report, CSA is all set to sign former skipper Graeme Smith as the director of cricket. Kristen, who led India to the 2011 World Cup title and coached the Proteas to No.1 Test ranking in 2012, will be of great help to Nkwe after the 3-0 humbling in India.
“I'm always willing to help in whatever way possible but only if it's done through a proper and sustainable process and not just a as quick fix solution," Kirsten told Cricbuzz.
In the meantime, many questions swirl around the board's actions and inactions in the face of clear and present dangers to the game itself, and they have become targets for open hostility from the public and former players. Hugh Page, an isolation-era fast bowler and a former national selector, urged the current office bearers to step down as he also asked the players to go on a strike if they don’t do so.
Page posted on social media: "I would have thought by now that with all that has gone on in cricket over the last week or so, any self-respecting individual sitting on the board of CSA would have said, 'Hang on, there's a major crisis here, I can't afford to be associated with this fiasco. I need to resign and move on quietly while still having some sort of dignity (and I say that lightly) intact'. I implore all those who sit on the board of CSA to resign now and move on quietly for the sake of cricket. Please!”
