The conclusion of a tournament of World Cup proportions usually comes with it the hailing of winners as well as the case of rolling heads for teams that fail to go the distance. With many teams now looking for a new face to lead their forthcoming campaigns, it might end up being a case of musical chairs where one fallen coach could end up in another’s backyard.
Ottis Gibson pleaded for the opportunity of more time with the South African team. But it seemed South Africa’s disastrous World Cup had to see changes on a rather prominent level. Gibson, who had been appointed for primarily the goal of helping South Africa lift the World Cup, unfortunately did not measure up when push came to shove. The curtains were certain even as the coach implored for another chance to prove himself and for the team to be exonerated.
Not only has the coach’s place been made vacant as far as South Africa’s cricket is concerned but also, there is now an air of uncertainty about how much leadership Faf du Plessis will wield going forward. Similarly, the tolling of bells can be heard elsewhere.
While the Pakistan coach until the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Mickey Arthur, wanted to continue beyond the World Cup somewhat controversially without the current captain, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Arthur finds himself out of a job. Although not quite as epic as England’s Pietersen-Moore saga of more than a decade ago, it is not on dissimilar lines as the suggestion of removal of one has led to the shooting of the messenger.
India are amongst the rare set of teams that are going through the formality of reappointing the old guard for all practical purposes. It would seem that while the BCCI’s formality of applications has seen a more curious names to say it best, it would appear that despite that fiasco of a semi final against New Zealand, Ravi Shastri may have saved his seat in the dressing room.
The rumour mills though went into overdrive as the captaincy became a subject of discussion, introducing angles of split captaincy and also, of ego busts up in and out of the dressing room between the current Indian captain, Virat Kohli, and the candidate vying for his throat/throne, Rohit Sharma. Was Kohli’s West Indies tour decision a preventive measure?
The cushion of comfort does not extend even at the end of a successful ICC Cricket World Cup campaign for the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, whose contract expires at the end of the Ashes series. Judging by the manner in which the first Test of the Ashes ended in Birmingham, Bayliss could well be packing his bags and Arthur relocating if rumours of the latter being singled out as the next England coach are to be believed. It is still early days yet.
Sri Lanka have suspended their current coach, leaving the door open for sweeping changes. After a turmoil fueled build up to the World Cup that saw some rather ignominious captaincy campaigns, this might only be the first of several changes being mulled by the team from the Emerald Isles.
Sweeping changes though would not be limited to Sri Lanka. Much of cricket’s leadership around the world is going through a shake down. Even as the focus has shifted from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 in England to the inaugural ICC World Test Championship, the mindset of rebuilding on a four year platform has not changed. It has meant that even as some teams are already in the heat of confronting the new format of a Test championship, they must be prepared to make some changes on the go.
While one would think that those plans would incorporate not just the limited overs World Cup at targets, it would appear that with the ICC Test World Championship still being nascent, teams would draw more conservative, short term Test team goals on a bilateral series basis before tallying up the points in the race for the final two years hence on. The quest for the next coach is more immediate as teams are now revealing.