Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a dynamic new structure on Sunday.
The setup will not only see the appointment of a team manager who will take overall charge of all aspects of the team, but also ensure an effective manner of cricket governance and greater accountability to South Africans.
The team manager will appoint his coaching staff as well as the captain(s) of the Proteas; the coaches, the medical staff and the administrative staff will all report directly to him.
The Board of Directors of CSA approved the new structure at its meeting last week which includes the appointment of the position of Director of Cricket.
CSA Manager: Cricket Pathways, Corrie van Zyl, will assume the position of Acting Director of Cricket until the position is filled. This effectively means that all cricketing decisions within the system will be managed by the Acting Director of Cricket.
In terms of the new structure the team manager, similar to football-style structures, will report to the (Acting) Director of Cricket who will in turn report to the Chief Executive.
Dr. Mohammed Moosajee, whose tenure comes to an end in September 2019, expressed to the Board his wish not be considered for another term as joint Team Manager and Team Doctor, which the Board accepted.
Members of team management, including the various assistant cricket coaches, will not be retained as part of the forthcoming plan.
In relation to the imminent tour of India, the Chief Executive and the Acting Director of Cricket will appoint an interim management team, selection panel and captain for this assignment.
In the meantime, CSA will advertise the positions of Director of Cricket, Team Manager and convenor of selectors.
“This change will herald an exciting new era for the SA cricket and will bring us into line with best practice in professional sport,” commented CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe.
“I must stress that the new structure was not a rash decision. It was taken after much deliberation by the Board, taking all the factors into consideration about the current state of our cricket and also the plan that we need to get to within the timelines we have set.
“I would like to thank Ottis Gibson, other members of the team’s current senior management, and our long-serving team manager, Dr. Moosajee, for their national service to South African cricket.”