Proteas head coach, Russell Domingo, is aware that his reign as national coach could be over, as speculation grows about his potential replacement.
The 42-year-old took charge of the Proteas four years ago when he replaced South African legend Gary Kirsten.
Since then there have been ups and downs for the SA side, as they climbed to No 1 on the ODI rankings and to No 2 in Tests.
Despite his side having to deal with the absence of Dale Steyn and AB de Villiers, the Test side still managed to rise from 7th to No 2 on the rankings under Faf du Plessis’ captaincy, which included a third consecutive series win against Australia, a home series win against Sri Lanka and an away series win against New Zealand.
The ODI side’s dominance at the top of rankings was highlighted by whitewashes against Australia and Sri Lanka, but were rattled by Kolpak departures of Kyle Abbott and Rilee Roussow, as they edged a 3-2 away series win against New Zealand thereafter.
Their position on the rankings, however, has been clouded by a terrible tour of England, which saw them beaten in ODIs, T20s and Tests, as well as experiencing a group stage exit from the Champions Trophy.
Doubt about Domingo’s future had risen before the England tour, however, when CSA announced that the current SA coach had to reapply for his role, and he later revealed that was what he did.
Over the last few months, news began to surface regarding potential replacements for Domingo, with Ottis Gibson and Geoffrey Toyana tipped as favorites to be his successor.
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According to Sport24, Domingo is resigned to the idea of his time being up as national head coach.
‘There are definite holes in the Test side that need bit a of attention, some tinkering which must take place,’ he said.
‘But I’ve loved my time. For a team that has a lot of challenges, we’ve done okay.
‘It’s been tricky. I took over a side that was established, then lost a lot of players, went through a dip, re-established some, lost a few players again, we sort of established something again, but then we lost Dale, Vernon and AB and that sets you back a little bit more.’
When asked about the future, Domingo emphasised his desire to stay in the country and has been linked with helping the SA A or SA U19 side.
‘I’d like to stay in South African cricket. I’ve got a young family, my roots are in South Africa, my family’s 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.’
