Johannesburg — Enoch Nkwe believes that the best way that Cricket South Africa can show accountability for the Proteas’ latest World Cup failure is to have better mechanisms in place ahead of future ICC events, with a specific eye on the 2027 World Cup, that will be hosted in SA.
The new director of cricket, has to confront the fallout following the latest Proteas defeat at an ICC event after Temba Bavuma’s team exited the T20 World Cup with a loss to the Netherlands on Sunday.
“When the results are poor, fingers will be pointed at the organisation — in terms of what has happened in the past and was there enough support. Whether the team loses or wins, we will always support the team and ask ourselves what more we can do to help the team to continue to move forward,” said Nkwe.
Nkwe will oversee a comprehensive review of the Proteas’ performance at the tournament, with the guidance of an as yet unknown panel. Part of that review will include one-on-one meetings with the players and management although it wasn’t clear what role Mark Boucher, who coached the national team for the last time at the World Cup, would play. Boucher did not return to SA, instead journeying from Australia to the United States for a break with his family. He will next be in charge of the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL.
“As director of cricket, I will take accountability in terms of the loss, but we need to move forward,” said Nkwe. “The focus now is hitting the reset button, and not dwelling on the past. It’s important to now close this chapter and look at what lies ahead and challenge ourselves to be even better as an organisation and as a team, throughout the system.”
Nkwe said a special focus would be placed on preparing the team for the 2027 one-day international World Cup. “A lot of good work has already been done behind the scenes, for us it is now about how we move forward. We have a massive project — 2027 — and there will be immense opportunities leading up to that. We must ensure we are giving ourselves the best chance as an organisation to help teams win games and to win World Cups and strive to be No 1 in all three formats, that’s where we are focused now.”
The trouble for Nkwe and Cricket SA is that there are ICC limited-overs events scheduled for every year until 2031, which will keep the Proteas in the spotlight and the longer the national team goes without at least making it to a final in one of those tournaments the more the pressure will build on the players and CSA.
“The one thing that we have to accept is that we will (continue to) carry the chokers tag,” a distraught Bavuma said after the team had arrived back on Wednesday. “It is not something we need to shy away from. It is what it is. The way to overcome it, is by seeing yourself in a final of an ICC event and winning that competition, that is the only way that the group of guys will overcome it.”
Nkwe agreed, but felt optimistic that even the current crop of players would be able to ditch the label. “I have no doubt that this group of cricketers, and the next generation will make a difference,” Nkwe said.
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