Russell Domingo. (Gallo)
The new Proteas head coach may not be a household name with a glittering playing career behind him, but his own assertion that he has "put in the hard yards" is undoubtedly true.
There is an old romantic notion that anything and everything can be achieved through hard work. It certainly doesn't apply in coaching professional sport. Too many things are beyond a coach's control.
Perception is one of them. Everyone in world cricket knows exactly who Gary Kirsten is. They don't know who Russell Domingo is, but the manner in which he has started his succession to Kirsten suggests two things: he doesn't mind, and they soon will.
Facing and answering the hard questions without fear or resorting to banal clichés is a good start. South Africa's one-day international record in Sri Lanka is poorer than in any other nation. Comfortably. Just a single victory in 10 completed matches, and that was in 1993.
"They are a tough side, particularly at home. They've been in more ICC [International Cricket Council] finals and semifinals than most other teams. They are a class outfit in one-day cricket. Our record is poor here," Domingo said in Colombo on Wednesday after his team had beaten a Sri Lankan A side by 73 runs in their only warm-up game before the five-match ODI series starts tomorrow.
"But very few of our players have ever played an ODI here so they come with a clean slate and no baggage. I haven't been here, either. You can't change the past, you can only shape the future."
Kirsten's approach
Domingo's decision to ask for the warm-up match to be an official fixture rather than a glorified net session with 12 or 13 players involved appeared to contradict Kirsten's approach to practice games. Domingo, however, was savvy enough to praise his predecessor.
"Gary did a great job in widening the base of international players but a lot of those decisions have now been made and we have a group of 15 or 17 players to go forward with over the next two years," Domingo said.
Wise enough not to suggest that this tour should be judged on results alone, Domingo talks of other goals and targets: "There are positions in the eleven I would like to cement so that players reach the World Cup with 30 or 40 games in a particular position. There's a lot of continuity but there might be one or two changes to the batting order or roles," Domingo said.
Test matches add status to tours and there are none here. India are playing Zimbabwe, and the Ashes, too, will command massive TV audiences. It's hard not to conclude that this tour is seriously low-profile. It's another question Domingo does not dodge – or revert to clichés.
"It might be regarded as low-key but I know for certain that Sri Lanka are regarding it very highly. For me, personally, and the players here, it is a massive tour. We all understand the need to generate momentum in one-day cricket and to identify a playing pattern and playing style, to develop some sort of winning culture that we can carry forward."
The seriousness of the one-day cricket malaise in which the Proteas find themselves can be seen in the "some sort of winning culture" comment. Even eternal optimist Domingo cannot picture it. Like everyone else, he's waiting for the spark that could ignite it.
Solid performers
Another common perception is that the current squad lacks dynamic X-factor players. Dale Steyn's absence is glaring and the batting flair provided in the past by Lance Klusener and Albie Morkel is another obvious void.
"Yes, it's always good to have those X-factor players – players who can blow the game open with a good spell of bowling or a blitz innings, a Chris Gayle type of innings. But there is always a place for good, solid performers in this format – guys like Robbie P [Peterson]. He has been a consistent performer for a long period of time. Hashim Amla has been consistent.
"AB de Villiers is undoubtedly one of the exhilarating players, so we do have both types of individuals in our team. As always, it's just about making sure that they fire on a consistent basis," said Domingo.
There really is only so much a coach can do.
A three-match T20 series follows the five ODIs with the long-term focus of the 2015 World Cup shifting to next year's T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. Frankly, the task facing Domingo is daunting. Kirsten's "net-widening" approach had great merit, as did his flexibility in both batting order and bowling duties.
But, whereas Kirsten believed players should be primed and alert to fulfil different roles, it appears likely Domingo will revert to a more traditional – and predictable – approach that sees batsmen and bowlers completing their duties by numbers.It worked well enough under Hansie Cronje. But have times changed?