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We deserve to be No. 1 ODI side – Domingo
Russell Domingo is not ready to reveal whether he will reapply for his job as South Africa’s head coach after CSA’s board decided it would begin a recruitment process for a national coach to take over after the tour to England in August, when Domingo’s contract expires. Although several insiders believe the opening of an application process is nothing more than a formality to meet corporate governance requirements and Domingo will get the post if chooses to apply, the man himself has indicated he will need to assess whether he wants to continue.
“I need to think about it. There’s a lot of water to still go under the bridge. Our focus is on this New Zealand series. I need to weigh up where I am with my life, with my family, with my career and make a call closer to the time. At this stage, I am not able to commit or not commit. I have to see,” Domingo said, after South Africa beat Sri Lanka 5-0 at Centurion.
Domingo, whose contract has already been extended three times, still has a trio of trips before the end of his deal – the imminent visit to New Zealand which includes a T20, five ODIs and three Tests, the Champions Trophy, and a four-Test tour of England. It is expected that if he succeeds, especially at the ICC event, he could even be asked to reapply and continue but Domingo said he is not looking at the fixtures as a litmus test. “I don’t think I need that as any form of motivation. Its not about me, its about the team. It’s not about me being motivated, it’s about the players being motivated,” he said.
Asked whether the CSA board announcement, which came two weeks’ ago during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, could have waited, Domingo explained he understood the administrative reasons behind CSA revealing they would be widening the net. “There’s never a good time but the board has got processes they need to follow. They need to do what they feel is in the best interests of the national team. Whatever they feel that is, they need to make those decisions. I don’t always have to agree with it or love it or disagree with it. It just is what it is.”
“That’s part of life and part of sport. If my contract can be up and Jose Mourinho’s contract can be up – I am only Russell Domingo… there have been big coaches whose contract has expired and they’ve got to move on. That’s the way it is.”
Domingo has been in charge of South Africa since mid-2013 and has overseen a period from which they have dropped from No. 1 on the Test rankings to No. 7 and then got themselves back up to No. 3. He is the only coach under whom South Africa have won a knockout match at a World Cup – the quarter-final in 2015 against Sri Lanka. His ODI success often goes under the radar – South Africa became the first team to have whitewashed Australia 5-0 under his watch and also hold the record for the most consecutive ODI wins at home – 14 – and he hopes their limited-overs’ performances are regarded with the same prestige as some of their longer-form achievements. “We’ve won some unbelievable one-day series that sometimes the players don’t get enough credit for,” Domingo said.
Should Domingo choose not to put his name in the hat to take the team to the 2019 World Cup, Lions’ coach Geoffrey Toyana is considered the favourite to take over. Toyana has been in charge of the Lions since the 2012-13 season and they have won three trophies (a T20, a shared one-day cup and a first-class title) under him. He has also presided over the progression of several players to the national side including Quinton de Kock, Kagiso Rabada, Stephen Cook, Chris Morris, Aaron Phangiso and Dwaine Pretorius.
Firdose Moonda is ESPNcricinfo’s South Africa correspondent
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo