SA face India tour crisis as Arthur quits

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Crisis? What crisis? These are the words that sound so familiar, yet the reasons for them are just as confusing at present.

"It is all a matter of opinion," are the unofficial comments. The official word is that "all will be known late tomorrow" (Wednesday morning South Africa time), or about 2.30 pm Indian standard time.

Okay, so getting rid of your coach and possibly the selection panel as well days before a tour of the subcontinent is to start is not a crisis? Hmmm. It seems Cricket South Africa are trying to play cute here, not wanting to rock any pre-tour emotions.

Arthur has confirmed his resignation from his East London base on Tuesday, a small Indian Ocean port city where he lives. In a brief interview with the news agency Reuters he expressed disappointment that his tenure, which had lasted since 2005 has ended.

"I know the timing is very unfortunate, especially with an exciting two-Test tour of India coming up but the international cricket calendar these days means that there is never a good time.

"But all good things must come to an end and now is the time for someone else to take over," he added. "I wish them well. I am also proud of what we achieved, being ranked number one in both forms of the game. Winning a Test series in England for the first time in forty years as well as Australia has given me happy memories."

Other comments emerging about the resignations are in more laconic than your usual prosaic language and coming as they do from sources close to the team, it suggests a certain tip-toeing around the fragile perimeters of an issue that has been developing since last September.

Arthur's resignation and one of the senior support staff, Vincent Barnes who is likely to be relieved of his post as bowling coach, is seen as a drastic manoeuvre only four days before South Africa are to depart for a three-month foreign venture. This includes Tests and slogs in India along with the West Indies, where there is the ICC WorldT20 tournament followed by three Tests, and more slogs. To suggest there is no crisis is trying to say that those facing a metaphorical firing squad are cardboard cutouts, not the real guys.

It has long been said that a row between the South African captain Graeme Smith and Arthur has been simmering well before the limited-overs and Test series against Andrew Strauss and his Poms. But sources say Arthur is understood to have resigned because of an irretrievable breakdown in communications with Smith, and Mike Procter now dragged into this unholy mess as well, which has been caused it is said by a key component of the management support staff.

Suggestions are how Smith and Arthur barely communicated during the Wanderers Test. This was evident when Smith then went on record to dispute Arthur's pre-Test comments that South Africa needed to "take a few gambles" to win, thereby levelling the series.

Smith is said to have been miffed at being blamed by the selectors, among others within Cricket South Africa's hierarchy, for not winning the Test at Newlands in Cape Town over the New Year, where the tourists hung on during a tense 10-ball finale to draw a game South Africa should have won.

There is another view that while Smith is a control freak with the support of senior players such as Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince, the Test team's vice-captain, Arthur and Smith did get on very well. There was some joking in the dressing room on the second night of The Wanderers Test between the two men. But Arthur's resignation has come as a shock, while Barnes is likely to remain in the coaching set-up for the time being.

It is known how last year (2009) was a tough one for South Africa, where much more was expected of the team following the triumphs of 2008 where they had Test series victories away in England and Australia. What followed in 2009 was the opposite. Instead of making the opposition sweat, three Tests were lost and only one success and didn't help the mood of conviviality between coach and captain.

It is here where the blame has been placed on the shoulders of the team's psychoanalyst Jeremy Snapes.

There has been harsh internal (CSA), as well as media criticism of South Africa's pre-Champions Trophy tournament preparation and along with Snapes, accusations are that the bowling coach, Barnes is not qualified enough to look after team's stable of quality bowlers. One example is how Morné Morkel's improvement is put down to the better coaching systems available with his Centurion-based Titans franchise set-up than that in the South African camp.

This is said to be another reason why Dale Steyn didn't move to the Cape Cobras franchise when buying a house in Cape Town two years ago. The Titans coaching staff and net facilities in Centurion are recognised as among the top five in the world today and have been credited for several players coming through the ranks to international level.

While Arthur is to spell out his reasons for resigning at a press conference in East London, 2.30 pm IST Wednesday, there are also rumours that Smith now has far too much power for the good of the team and that the one way out of this mess is to replace him with someone else. The power base is similar to the ruthless, almost egotistical leadership culture established by Hansie Cronje in the latter years of 1990s after being approached by Indian bookmakers.

Although it is argued the current fallout is similar to that of the Kevin Pietersen/Peter Moores row that rocked the England camp a year ago, there are differences. Here it is said that the South African team's psychoanalyst, another Pommie hasbeen and failed ODI batsman Snapes, who has the same role with Rajasthan Royals, is seen as having a meddling influence in the way the South African players have been thinking about tackling challenges.

Sources close to the team indicate how Snapes and Smith have undermined Arthur's coaching base. While there have been warning signs, the suggestion is that Snapes should have his contract reviewed by CSA after an evaluation was made at the end of the Champions Trophy. This didn't happen as Smith argued against it, with those close to the team saying they have seen no improvement on the team's mental side since the end of the 2008-09 tour of Australia which South Africa won 2-1.

It is also said, if he could get away with it, an envisaged scenario of no coach, no convener of selectors, or selector, would make Smith happy. Like Cronje, he wants total control.

"If you do not agree with him, he will eliminate you," is the comment from one source close to the side. "In this there are no borders of influence or acceptance of responsibility. It allows for too many bendable grey policies leading to issues such as this. And the sad part is that CSA do not support the coaches and others in coaching positions. It is here where the players call the shots. It is time that CSA call their (the players) bluff. It has to stop, but they (CSA) are too sacred of a players strike."

In his tenure as captain since he took over after South Africa's CWC03 debacle, Smith has had in seven years, three coaches: Simons, Jennings and Arthur, and four selection panel conveners (Omar Henry, Haroon Lorgat, Joubert Strydom and Procter). The caretaker role has gone to Corrie van Zyl, who because of his past experiences with the team between 1998 and 2003 is familiar with the team management set-up.

Van Zyl was a former Free State opening bowler with Allan Donald, and on retirement became their coach, and assistant national coach when Bob Woolmer, Graham Ford and Eric Simons were the main coaches. He is now running the High Performance Centre at the leafy surrounds of the LC de Villiers Oval, attached to Pretoria University in Hatfield, a post he took over from Vincent van der Bijl.

How he deals with the Smith/Snapes pairing will be an interesting exercise and his management skills will be tested. He comes from the no-nonsense era of the 1980s and 1990s and is unlikely to take too much backchat from those within the side who have a smart mouth or narcissist opinions.