Ray Jennings could do for cricket what Jake White did for rugby, former national cricket selector Hugh Page said on Tuesday.
He said Jennings could do wonders for South African cricket, which needs a strong national coach.
”They’ve got a strong captain in Graeme Smith, and I think they could prove a good combination.
”There have been reports of ructions in the national team,” said Page. ”I have no proof of that, but I’m pretty sure that where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
”No team can really do well unless the guys know where they stand, and unless they play as a unit. They need to be prepared to play and die for each other.
”You see that with the Australians — they came back from an impossible situation in India to a position where they could possibly have won the second Test. And that’s because of guys who are not known as batsmen who batted courageously.”
He said he believes Jennings could be the man to bring that spirit back to the South African team.
”There were times when they were in Sri Lanka that they didn’t seem to have that fighting spirit.”
Page does not think that Jennings’s sometimes-unorthodox methods will cause problems with the more established players, such as Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Makhaya Ntini.
”Once Ray and Graeme have established a strategy, then that is non-negotiable,” he said. ”The players will have to understand that. Ray will have to be transparent if he is going to succeed.”
Page said the possibility of bringing Daryll Cullinan back into the side is not necessarily a bad thing.
”Once again, Jake White did wonders for South African rugby by bringing back players thought to have left the national scene. It all depends on how he handles it.”
While he does not think Jennings has been set up to fail, Page believes the terms of his appointment mean Jennings has the odds stacked against him.
”I wouldn’t have liked to have taken up a position on those terms,” he said. ”But he’s a big guy, and he knows what he’s doing. He knows that he’s got to look for opportunities, and he will also consult closely with his brother Ken, who is a sports psychologist.”
Meanwhile, Jennings said on Tuesday that bringing Cullinan back into the team does not mean there will be no place for Boeta Dippenaar.
”I want to make full use of our best resources,” said Jennings. ”Bringing Daryll back does not necessarily mean someone else can’t be included. There are all sorts of permutations. For instance, [Herschelle] Gibbs might not play.
”Anyway, it’s up to the selectors to decide who is to be included. They might not want to include Cullinan.”
Jennings said he has no plans to travel around the country and meet current members of the national team.
”I will touch base with some of the players during matches, but I don’t think there’s much purpose in having separate meetings with players before we all meet for the training camp before we leave for India.
”I have spoken to some players on the phone, and I’m confident that we will work things out, and have a good relationship.” — Sapa