GARY Kirsten’s shock exit as SA’s coach yesterday was a third strike for a team that should be focused on their preparations for the Champions Trophy.
In the space of 11 days, Jacques Kallis has made himself unavailable for the tournament and Graeme Smith has been ruled out with a stress fracture – and now this, the imminent removal from the equation of the man who has taken SA to the pinnacle of Test cricket.
Kirsten will not renew his contract as national coach, which expires at the end of July.
The Champions Trophy in England and Wales next month will be his last engagement.
“The reason I am not accepting the renewal is because I feel I can no longer cope with the lengthy periods of separation from my family that this job demands,” Kirsten, who has three children under the age of 10, said.
“Last year I had 250 days away from Cape Town, my home. I believe my absence as a father is compromising my responsibilities to my family.
“I’ve just had five weeks at home now, which is the longest period I have had for a few years and I began to realise the impact the absence I’ve had as a father on my family.”
Kirsten’s services were secured by Cricket SA in the wake of his 2011 World Cup triumph with India, and many South Africans assumed he would pursue the same goal with the Proteas.
But he said yesterday the fact that he had signed only a two-year contract proved otherwise.
“That was not my intention – to go to the World Cup,” Kirsten said. “My work is part of a process to help the players and SA cricket reach the goals they want to reach. I leave a happy man.
“I didn’t start this job thinking I was the man with the silver bullet to win World Cups. I wanted to know that I could move the team forward in the right direction that they wanted to go.”
Under Kirsten the Proteas unseated India as the No1 ranked Test team.
They won 12, lost two and drew five Tests after his appointment in June 2011.
He guided South Africa to victory in all of the seven series they played with him at the helm.
By some measure Kirsten has been less successful in the shorter formats.
SA have won 13 of 24 one-day internationals they have played during his tenure, and nine of 18 Twenty20s. But they lost two and drew one of six one-day series and failed to reach the second round of the World T20 in Sri Lanka in October.
Kirsten said all his players had been informed of his decision.
Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee called it “painful and disappointing” but added that, “to want to spend more time with your young family, no-one can fault that. Gary Kirsten, I salute you.”
Kirsten said his wife, Deborah, was “quite surprised – I don’t think she believed me”.
Kirsten declares early
In the space of 11 days, Jacques Kallis has made himself unavailable for the tournament and Graeme Smith has been ruled out with a stress fracture – and now this, the imminent removal from the equation of the man who has taken SA to the pinnacle of Test cricket.
Kirsten will not renew his contract as national coach, which expires at the end of July.
The Champions Trophy in England and Wales next month will be his last engagement.
“The reason I am not accepting the renewal is because I feel I can no longer cope with the lengthy periods of separation from my family that this job demands,” Kirsten, who has three children under the age of 10, said.
“Last year I had 250 days away from Cape Town, my home. I believe my absence as a father is compromising my responsibilities to my family.
“I’ve just had five weeks at home now, which is the longest period I have had for a few years and I began to realise the impact the absence I’ve had as a father on my family.”
Kirsten’s services were secured by Cricket SA in the wake of his 2011 World Cup triumph with India, and many South Africans assumed he would pursue the same goal with the Proteas.
But he said yesterday the fact that he had signed only a two-year contract proved otherwise.
“That was not my intention – to go to the World Cup,” Kirsten said. “My work is part of a process to help the players and SA cricket reach the goals they want to reach. I leave a happy man.
“I didn’t start this job thinking I was the man with the silver bullet to win World Cups. I wanted to know that I could move the team forward in the right direction that they wanted to go.”
Under Kirsten the Proteas unseated India as the No1 ranked Test team.
They won 12, lost two and drew five Tests after his appointment in June 2011.
He guided South Africa to victory in all of the seven series they played with him at the helm.
By some measure Kirsten has been less successful in the shorter formats.
SA have won 13 of 24 one-day internationals they have played during his tenure, and nine of 18 Twenty20s. But they lost two and drew one of six one-day series and failed to reach the second round of the World T20 in Sri Lanka in October.
Kirsten said all his players had been informed of his decision.
Proteas team manager Mohammed Moosajee called it “painful and disappointing” but added that, “to want to spend more time with your young family, no-one can fault that. Gary Kirsten, I salute you.”
Kirsten said his wife, Deborah, was “quite surprised – I don’t think she believed me”.
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