England bowling coach Ottis Gibson has emerged as the favourite to become the new head coach of South Africa, once the Test series concludes.
According to Telegraph Sport, Gibson has been chosen as the No 1 candidate to be Russell Domingo’s replacement, after the selection panel spent the last two months deciding on the next coach, and he’s set to be unveiled as the coach once the Test series is finished.
Current coach Domingo, who has spent the past four years at the helm, reapplied for the role at the 11th hour, despite reports linking him away from that possibility, but Gibson, who played two Tests and 125 ODIs in the mid-1990s, is believed to have beaten him to the post.
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The panel, comprising three CSA board members, Norman Arendse, Rihan Richards and Oupa Nkagisang, as well as former SA coaches Gary Kirsten and Eric Simons, presented their recommendations to the CSA board on 21 July. Among the candidates were thought to be former Titans coaches Rob Walter and Richard Pybus, SA A coach Shukri Conrad, Lions coach Geoffrey Toyana and Warriors coach Malibongwe Maketa. West Indian Phil Simmons was thought to have applied, while Ottis Gibson’s application was merely a rumour.
Gibson is no stranger to South African cricket. The 48-year-old played for Border between 1992-95, Griqualand West between 1998-00, and Gauteng in the 2000-01 season. He was the bowling coach for England between 2007-09, before taking the head coach reins with West Indies for five years, winning the World T20 in that period. He returned to the post with England in 2015, and it could mean that Trevor Bayliss will look for a new bowling coach, with Jason Gillespie thought to be the favourite to land the role.
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