from supercricket.co.za by Neil Manthorp
It is no secret that Western Province coach
Eric Simons will take over the reigns of the national side sometime next week
but it is slightly more of a secret that Shaun Pollock will be retained as
national captain. In truth, the National Cricket Committee felt that Pollock
should be replaced as captain. The only difference between Graham Ford and the
skipper was that there were plenty of viable replacements for the coach but none
for the captain.
Senior professionals Jonty Rhodes and Gary Kirsten were unavailable, one because
he is a part-timer and the other because he made the decision four years ago
that captaincy was not for him.
"I gave up the vice-captaincy four years ago because you need to be a
special player, and a special kind of person to deal with all the things that
come with captaincy," Kirsten said. "It is a great, great honour to be
captain of your country but it isn't for everyone. It's a hellova job."
Mark Boucher was the most obvious replacement but making a wicket keeping all
rounder the leader of the national side would have been akin to jumping straight
from the fire into, well, another fire.
Neil McKenzie, too, is captaincy material but he does not yet enjoy the respect
of the entire squad - or management, for that matter. Maccie still tends to get
the occassional practical joke wrong and, despite trying hard to rid himself of
the curse, remains ruled by his absurd superstitions. Not good for a national
captain.
So, unpleasant though the thought might be for Shaun, he keeps the job by
default. The good news for the rest of the team, many of whom have serious
reservations about his man-management skills, is the Shaun REALLY wants the job.
Not only that, he is prepared to re-examine his methods and make a concerted
effort to do the job better.
Shaun has spoken to friends and colleagues in Birmingham, England, about his
desire to keep the position and make a success of it. Unless there is a
dramatic, last-minute change of heart, Shaun will be given that opportunity. He
will need all the support he can get.