Gary Kirsten prepared to work with two captains at the same time
Newly appointed South African coach, Gary Kirsten, has said that working with two different captains in Test and limited overs format, is not going to be an issue for him.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced yesterday that AB de Villiers will replace Graeme Smith as the One Day International (ODI) captain, while Smith will carry on leading the Proteas in the longer version of the game.
Earlier, Smith had announced before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, that the mega event will be his last assignment as the captain of South Africa’s ODI squad.
Kirsten said that the dual captaincy is not going to affect the team since both Smith and De Villiers are experienced cricketers and get along well with each other.
The former South African opener added that he did not get the time to speak much with De Villiers, but plans to discuss long term goals with the new captain soon.
Kirsten said, "I am really looking forward to it (dual captaincy). I think is a positive step for South African cricket. They are both experienced, talented cricketers and there is no reason to suggest why it won't be successful. As time wears on, we will
work on the relationship and the trust involved. Had one conversation about it and we will talk about it further.”
England also recently experimented with having a different captain for each format of the game. It remains to be seen how effective the new trend will be.
The former Indian coach has much to live up to. He led India to their second ever World Cup glory and turned out to be the most successful coach in the Indian history.
India became the number one ranked Test team during his tenure, which is no mean achievement.
Let’s see whether Kirsten can change the fortunes of South African cricket or not, especially since the Proteas are not rated well for performing under pressure.
Tags: