South Africa are set to part ways with Ottis Gibson

Ottis Gibson will not be South Africa’s coach for the team’s tour of India that starts in September. Gibson’s tenure as coach comes to an end in September and his services will not be retained, with Cricket South Africa (CSA) announcing sweeping changes to the way the national men’s team will be run.

A statement released by CSA suggested that an interim captain could be named for the tour of India, which means South Africa could also be preparing to not have Faf du Plessis continue as captain in all three formats. Du Plessis was named one of CSA’s Cricketers of the Year at an awards ceremony on Saturday night.

As part of the restructure, a new football style team manager will take overall charge of all aspects of the team, appointing coaching staff and captains. The coaches, medical staff, and the administrative staff will all report directly to the manager, who in turn will report to the director of cricket, working under the chief executive.

The Board of Directors of CSA approved the new structure at its meeting last week. The restructure includes the appointment of the position of director of cricket. Cricket South Africa’s manager of 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 van Zyl until the position is filled on a full-time basis. In the meantime, CSA will advertise the positions of director of cricket, team manager and convenor of selectors.

“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,” CSA chief executive Thabang Moroe said.

“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. This change will herald an exciting new era for SA cricket and will bring us into line with best practice in professional sport.”

Gibson’s is not the only high-profile exit from the camp. Dr Mohammed Moosajee, whose tenure comes to an end in September, expressed his wish not be considered for another term as joint team manager and team doctor, which the Board accepted, bringing an end his 16-year involvement with South Africa.

Also on the way out is Linda Zondi, the convener of selectors. Zondi, who was part of the selection panel that picked the Under-19 World Cup-winning squad in 2014, had been a selector since 2013, becoming convener in 2015. Media manager Lerato Malekutu has also resigned her position after nine years in a media role within the team.

The reshuffle will also affect assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa, and batting and fielding coaches Dale Benkenstein and Justin Ontong, with CSA announcing that members of team management, including the various assistant coaches, will not be retained as part of the new plan.