CSA appoint Graeme Smith as Director of Cricket till March 2020
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Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith has been appointed as the acting Director by Cricket South Africa (CSA). The board has undergone many issues of late including poor administration, failed leadership and issues with its players and it is hoped that Smith's appointment will bring solutions.
The poor performance of the South African team in the 2019 Cricket World Cup only magnified the problems that were already going on in CSA. Many issues like poor administration and constant tussle with its own players lead to many disagreements and financial losses. With all these problems rocking South Africa cricket, the appointment of Graeme Smith as the Director of Cricket till March 2020 has come as a ray of hope for improvement.
"I am delighted that Graeme has agreed to assist CSA up until the IPL next year. Obviously Graeme has had his concerns during the course of the last few months, but I am pleased to say that we have overcome those concerns and I look forward to working with him to urgently address pressing cricketing matters in particular," a CSA release quoted Jacques Faul, their acting chief executive, as saying and was confirmed by Cricbuzz.
"Graeme is statistically the most successful Test captain in the history of the game. He is a natural leader and his knowledge of the game is second to none. To have him on board to work with the professional cricket arm of CSA, as well as the cricketing pipeline, which is so vital for our game, is a massive shot in the arm for CSA during this period," Faul further stated.
Smith is arguably one of the most successful South African captains, having won 53 of the 108 Tests that he has captained his country in. The 38-year-old is looking forward to this opportunity and although it is just for three months, he is hopeful to hit the ground running.
"I've publicly stated a number of times that I would love to assist CSA in this difficult time, particularly in developing this new role of director of cricket. I'm still as passionate about South African cricket as I ever was and I'm looking forward to getting stuck into the role. There is a lot of work to be done in the next few weeks and months and my objective will always be to make a positive impact during my tenure," Smith stated.
One of the very first and prioritized problems that Smith has to deal with is the problem with the selection panel. With England set to tour South Africa for four Tests starting on Boxing Day, Smith has to resolve the problem of selecting a new selection panel. There are also concerns over the future of Enoch Nkwe as the interim team director after the Proteas faced a 3-0 whitewash away to India. Most of the South African national team players are playing the Mzansi Super League which cannot be considered as a proper judgement criterion for picking the Test squad and none of the players will be having the mindset to play the longest format of the game after returning fresh from a T20 tournament.
Smith is believed to have made his appointment conditional on the removal of chief executive Thabang Moroe, and it thus would have become a possibility only after Moroe was suspended by the CSA. CSA will be hopeful of Smith making an instant positive impact in South African cricket administration.
