English cricket club Yorkshire have appointed former South Africa coach Ottis Gibson as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
Photo: PA Wire/PA Images RTI
Gibson bemoans “lack of time”, following Proteas CWC failure
Ottis Gibson says the Proteas ran out of time in trying to put together a team for the Cricket World Cup.
English cricket club Yorkshire have appointed former South Africa coach Ottis Gibson as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
Photo: PA Wire/PA Images RTI
South Africa’s poor run at the Cricket World Cup has left many fans perplexed, given the decent performances the team managed to put together in the lead-up to the showpiece, but coach Ottis Gibson has offered a little insight as to what could have gone wrong.
The Proteas bowed out of the tournament on Saturday with a victory over Australia, which was not enough as they had mustered just two wins in nine matches to finish seventh on the points table.
Although results in the year leading up to the competition suggested that the Barbadian’s charges would be among the contenders for the big prize, preparation was not without its fair share of distractions, with untimely retirements and injury often throwing a spanner in the works.
Speaking as the Proteas landed in Johannesburg on Monday, Gibson listed those setbacks as possible reasons behind the dismal showing, stating that, in retrospect, he could have done with a little more time.
“In that time we’ve had retirements, we’ve had some people go off and Kolpak, we’ve had injuries – especially in the last six months or so.
“Hash [Hashim Amla] had a family situation to deal with. And then players that you felt were ready didn’t put the runs on the board, so you feel that you have to give them a little more time.
“All in all, looking back on it now, you feel like you just wish you had a little bit more time. But you didn’t have that time. The World Cup was around the corner, and you had to deal with it.”
Ottis Gibson
Gibson took charge of the Proteas in September 2018, having built a good rapport in his two stints as England bowling coach.
He pointed out to his former team, who have made the last four, as an example of what could be built with a little more time – a luxury he did not have in charge of the Proteas.
“We only had 18 months, probably less than 18 months to build a team, so time was always against us. And then when you’ve got the retirement of significant players as well, that puts a strain on the system. Ultimately we ran out of time in trying to put together the team that we would have liked to come and compete at the World Cup.”
Ottis Gibson
The Proteas next assignment is a tour to India, which begins with a three-match T20 International series starting on 15 September.
