STRAIGHT TALK

Candid Domingo reflects on rollercoaster journey

by   •  Last updated on
"Bavuma has shown so much promise. I honestly believe he's got the technique to become one of South Africa's best players" - Domingo
"Bavuma has shown so much promise. I honestly believe he's got the technique to become one of South Africa's best players" - Domingo © Getty

"This really does look like the departure lounge," joked Russell Domingo as he stepped into a stairwell at Old Trafford for what he expected would be his final engagement with the media as South Africa coach. The circumstances might have been sombre, especially with South Africa having just lost a Test series 3-1 to England, but Domingo is the type of man who rarely stops smiling.

In fact, it would be difficult to find anyone who does not like Domingo as a person, which makes his treatment by Cricket South Africa all the more disdainful. It is one thing to decide that the national team needed a new influence, but quite another to string the existing coach along for the better part of seven months - all the while pretending that he could yet be kept on - only for the identity of his successor to be leaked in the media during his final match in charge.

That successor is expected to be England bowling coach Ottis Gibson, whose appointment looks set to be confirmed in the coming days once the details of his contract are worked out. If Domingo felt hard done-by at needing to cross paths with Gibson at the end of the Test series, he did not show it when he gave the West Indian a special embrace as the teams shook hands. If he harbours ill-feeling towards CSA about his treatment, he is not showing that either.

"It's been a long time, I suppose," he said of the process that has hung over him since CSA announced via a press release on January 28 that they would be examining their options. "Hopefully there will be some finality in the next couple of days. I'm not sure what's happening, but by all media accounts, from what I'm led to believe there is some process taking place at the moment, so we'll wait and see when I get back home.

"It's the life of a coach - what happens, happens. I'm assuming, from what I'm reading, that my time is done, but that's the way it is. I need to find employment somewhere."

There has been talk that Domingo could take over the South Africa A side, or work somewhere in the South African system. "I'd like to stay in South African cricket," he confirmed. "I've got a young family, my roots are in South Africa, I want to stay in South Africa. Whichever level I coach at, that's my job, that's what I love doing and as long as I can play some part in South African cricket I'll be glad to stay."

With that sort of attitude, South Africa will be lucky to have him - regardless of how anyone might see his work with the national team. Judging Domingo's tenure has always involved a discussion around the players that South Africa have lost. Gary Kirsten may have taken the plaudits for being in charge when South Africa ascended to the No 1 ranking in Test cricket, but he did so with a Test team that must surely be seen as South Africa's best since isolation. Since Kirsten's departure in 2013, Domingo has been left to pick up the pieces as a string of legends retired and South Africa's production line dried up.

"It's been tricky," he said. "I took over a side that was established, then lost a lot of players, went through a dip, re-established to some degree, lost a few players again. We sort of established something again, but then we lost Dale (Steyn), Vernon (Philander, during the 2015/16 season) and AB (de Villiers) and that sets you back a little bit more. Then you lose (Kyle) Abbott, you lose (Rilee) Rossouw... those holes can be hard to fill."

That seems a fair assessment of South Africa's problems, especially given events in England. And it is worth pointing out that South Africa's win percentage in all formats under Domingo (56.2%) was better than Kirsten (54.5%), but lower than Bob Woolmer (64.6%), who coached a one-day unit that was as good as any South Africa have boasted. "With the challenges, the team's done okay," said Domingo.

Nevertheless, he accepts that his successor will have his work cut out for him, particularly with the Test side. South Africa are still ranked second in Tests and first in ODIs but as Domingo has found, their resources are diminishing.

"South Africa is fortunate that we will always produce good young cricketers because of our schooling system," he said. "The challenge is keeping the players within the system. You could pick a pretty strong side from the players playing abroad. That's the big challenge facing South African cricket... it's about providing opportunities for all those players to feature in our system, somehow."

To that end he sees some potential in the birth of the T20 Global League, suggesting it could unearth some new talent but also allow CSA to stem the flow of players to other Twenty20 competitions around the world.

And while several new faces have struggled to make an immediate impact in Test cricket as they attempt to replace a golden generation, Domingo does see plenty of promise in the squad.

"I think Keshav (Maharaj) is going to be the best spinner South Africa's ever had," he said. "Temba Bavuma has shown so much promise. I honestly believe he's got the technique to become one of South Africa's best players. But you've got to persevere with him, you can't just after 20 Tests - because he's averaging 30 - get rid of him. You've got to invest in those types of players. You've got to give them time to develop. It's easy to chop and change... I was just listening to the commentary; Keaton Jennings got a hundred in India and Nasser Hussain was saying 'spectacular young player, what a talent he'll be', and four Tests later they're all questioning him.

"You've got to give players time to settle in and find their feet, because at the moment there's a big step up from domestic cricket to international cricket."

And with that, Domingo was off. Out of the departure lounge and into the real world. He does not know what cricket holds in store for him, but on Thursday morning he will be back home in Port Elizabeth, having a cup of coffee with his wife before picking his kids up from school. He will watch his successor with interest, but also with his head held high.

ShareTweet

COMMENTS

Move to top
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com