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Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town – England has been heavily touted in the UK media as next port of employment call for Mickey Arthur, who resigned earlier this week as Proteas coach.
Gallery: Mickey Arthur - highs and lows
One report said a quest to have Kepler Wessels installed as replacement would probably be “dismissed out of hand” while another pointed to the fact that cricket has no Alex Ferguson equivalent, making coaches the more likely sacrificial lambs in power struggles with captains.
It was also suggested that Ashes-winning former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who spends most of his time in the Western Cape, was weary of travelling and would not seek the South African job.
Nick Hoult of the Daily Telegraph said Arthur had “targeted” a move to England.
“(He) has long held ambitions to coach in county cricket. Arthur was linked with the director of cricket position at Surrey last year – Chris Adams was eventually appointed – and was also a candidate for the England job after Peter Moores’s sacking.
“At the moment there are no openings at counties, so he will look for a consultancy role similar to the one Fletcher fills with Hampshire.”
The paper quoted Arthur as saying: “I would love a job in England and can bide my time until the next opportunity.”
The Guardian’s David Hopps insisted – despite subsequent dampening signals by Kiwi cricket bosses – that Arthur would be head-hunted by New Zealand.
“(They) have been without a coach since Andy Moles resigned and their chief executive Justin Vaughan has been a firm admirer of Arthur ever since he piloted South Africa to a historic victory in Australia.
“Fletcher has had his fill of the touring life and an Afrikaan-led (sic) campaign for the no-nonsense Kepler Wessels to take charge and challenge Smith’s authority as captain is likely to be dismissed out of hand.
“Smith, as ever, is sitting upwind. His power base is as strong as that of the disgraced former captain Hansie Cronje … his qualities remain essential to South Africa’s future.”
The views of Lawrence Booth, in the Daily Mail, flew slightly in the face of local reports on Wednesday suggesting that talk of an irreparable rift between Smith and Arthur as key reason for the latter’s resignation was exaggerated.
“Arthur lost the confidence of senior players in the South African team. Graeme Smith and others grew unhappy with Arthur’s contribution and his head was on the block when (they) failed in September’s Champions Trophy.
“He jumped before he was pushed.”
John Stern, editor of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, writing on Cricinfo, said: “Arthur’s departure is confirmation of where the power lies in a cricket dressing room. There is no Alex Ferguson (the fiery Manchester United boss) in cricket.
“Coaches might pick the team but they certainly don’t have total control or accountability for team affairs.
“A successful captain, as Smith assuredly is, will always win in a power struggle with a coach and Arthur will have been well aware of that.
“He is a young man, in his early 40s, with a good CV. He shouldn’t be short of offers, whether from a county or the IPL.
“For now, he can sit back and enjoy the Sharks rugby team and following his daughters on the local tennis circuit.”
Cape Town – England has been heavily touted in the UK media as next port of employment call for Mickey Arthur, who resigned earlier this week as Proteas coach.
Gallery: Mickey Arthur - highs and lows
One report said a quest to have Kepler Wessels installed as replacement would probably be “dismissed out of hand” while another pointed to the fact that cricket has no Alex Ferguson equivalent, making coaches the more likely sacrificial lambs in power struggles with captains.
It was also suggested that Ashes-winning former England coach Duncan Fletcher, who spends most of his time in the Western Cape, was weary of travelling and would not seek the South African job.
Nick Hoult of the Daily Telegraph said Arthur had “targeted” a move to England.
“(He) has long held ambitions to coach in county cricket. Arthur was linked with the director of cricket position at Surrey last year – Chris Adams was eventually appointed – and was also a candidate for the England job after Peter Moores’s sacking.
“At the moment there are no openings at counties, so he will look for a consultancy role similar to the one Fletcher fills with Hampshire.”
The paper quoted Arthur as saying: “I would love a job in England and can bide my time until the next opportunity.”
The Guardian’s David Hopps insisted – despite subsequent dampening signals by Kiwi cricket bosses – that Arthur would be head-hunted by New Zealand.
“(They) have been without a coach since Andy Moles resigned and their chief executive Justin Vaughan has been a firm admirer of Arthur ever since he piloted South Africa to a historic victory in Australia.
“Fletcher has had his fill of the touring life and an Afrikaan-led (sic) campaign for the no-nonsense Kepler Wessels to take charge and challenge Smith’s authority as captain is likely to be dismissed out of hand.
“Smith, as ever, is sitting upwind. His power base is as strong as that of the disgraced former captain Hansie Cronje … his qualities remain essential to South Africa’s future.”
The views of Lawrence Booth, in the Daily Mail, flew slightly in the face of local reports on Wednesday suggesting that talk of an irreparable rift between Smith and Arthur as key reason for the latter’s resignation was exaggerated.
“Arthur lost the confidence of senior players in the South African team. Graeme Smith and others grew unhappy with Arthur’s contribution and his head was on the block when (they) failed in September’s Champions Trophy.
“He jumped before he was pushed.”
John Stern, editor of The Wisden Cricketer magazine, writing on Cricinfo, said: “Arthur’s departure is confirmation of where the power lies in a cricket dressing room. There is no Alex Ferguson (the fiery Manchester United boss) in cricket.
“Coaches might pick the team but they certainly don’t have total control or accountability for team affairs.
“A successful captain, as Smith assuredly is, will always win in a power struggle with a coach and Arthur will have been well aware of that.
“He is a young man, in his early 40s, with a good CV. He shouldn’t be short of offers, whether from a county or the IPL.
“For now, he can sit back and enjoy the Sharks rugby team and following his daughters on the local tennis circuit.”
