Cricket
Arthur 'told players by SMS'
2010-01-26 22:37
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Mickey Arthur (Gallo Images)
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Altus Momberg Cape Town – Mickey Arthur’s resignation as Proteas coach came as just as big a shock to members of the national team on Monday as it has to the country’s cricket fans.
According to reports, Arthur sent players an SMS on Monday evening in which he informed them that he would resign as coach.
The Proteas leave for India on Saturday for a tour of two Tests and three one-day matches.
Corrie Van Zyl will be the caretaker coach.
Arthur will address the media with Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola and possibly also Van Zyl in East London on Wednesday morning to give the reasons for his resignation.
Proteas captain Graeme Smith, who is believed to have played a major role in Arthur’s resignation, will also be there.
A senior member of the Proteas side told Sport24 on Tuesday that he had no clue that Arthur would be resigning.
He said that the players had met after the Test defeat against England in Durban.
They were told at the meeting that heads would roll in the team and at management level unless there was drastic improvement.
The Proteas managed to draw the series thanks to a convincing win at the Wanderers.
However, it was not enough to repair the relationship between Smith and Arthur.
A source close to the team said that the union had been on the rocks for some time.
“It has been a problem for almost a year and the Proteas’ poor performance in September last year in the Champions Trophy tournament was probably the final straw.”
The informed source said that Smith and Arthur no longer had a meaningful relationship during the series against England.
It is rumoured that Smith believed that Arthur had reached his ceiling with the Proteas and that new blood was required to take the team forward.
Arthur’s resignation has led to renewed questions about Smith’s position of power in the Proteas set-up. In cricket it is the captain rather than the coach that is the dominant figure.
Ricky Ponting, for example, has all the power in Australia and that is the way it should be. A cricket captain can be on the field for up to seven hours during which time he has to control the team’s strategy and tactics. The captain also has to take responsibility for the team’s performances.
Van Zyl will be Smith’s fourth coach.
The role of Proteas psychologist Jeremy Snape also has to be examined.
Snape, who has been with the Proteas since the tour to England in 2008, is one of the candidates to succeed Arthur. He is close to Smith and started working with him at the Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League in 2008.
Meanwhile, it appears as if Arthur’s lieutenant, Vincent Barnes, has not resigned after all. He will apparently tour with the team to India.