Incumbent Convenor of Selectors Linda Zondi has failed to make the shortlist for the position ahead of the Proteas 2020/21 home summer.
Victor Mpitsang, Hussein Manack and Patrick Moroney were reportedly invited to attend interviews during the last week.
Proteas will have a new convenor of selectors
Former Proteas fast bowler Mpitsang is believed to be the candidate favoured by Director of Cricket Graeme Smith. He has previously operated as the convenor of selectors for South Africa’s Under-19 team and has perhaps the best understanding of the current structure of South African cricket of the three.
Manack applied for the role of director of cricket last year and has publicly voiced his displeasure at the process. He has been part of the Proteas selection panel under Zondi.
Smith has been a busy man despite the chaos at Cricket South Africa and is in the process of appointing a wide range of technical staff.
The director of cricket has already announced the appointments of five consultants including High-Performance Batting Lead Neil McKenzie and his bowling counterpart Vincent Barnes among their number.
The high-performance roles are part of Smith’s desire to ensure all the national teams are on the same page.
Earlier in the process of appointing a convenor of selectors Smith revealed that the role’s definition had been altered.
“We’ve shifted it to not only being a national team convener but to controlling the whole pipeline, which speaks to our high-performance strategy,” Smith said.
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“We feel it’s important to create the avenues of communication — the way we play, the way we select, the way we think, the way we operate, the type of people we want involved in that environment is key.
“We’ve aligned the convenor of selectors right through the pipeline. He’ll be overseeing everything.
“The convenor now is a much more extensive job. The convenor of selectors working on the whole system and owning the whole system, and being part of all the processes, is key.”
Zondi failed to meet the requirements
Zondi’s exclusion form the shortlist has raised eyebrows with the former convenor of selectors being told that he failed to meet the application requirements. The former KZN selector has over 13 years of experience in the talent pipeline.
Neither Smith nor CSA have commented on the decision at this time.
It is unclear when the domestic season will start up, and there are no guarantee that the Proteas Men or Women will be able to welcome inbound tours this summer.
The new convenor of selectors will be tasked with appointing a new Test captain and working towards a final squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup.
