van Zyl to step down as SA coach after World Cup

Corrie van Zyl, the South Africa coach, will step down from his position as coach of the national side after the 2011 World Cup in the subcontinent.

"He [van Zyl] informed me shortly after the team's return from the West Indies that he would not be applying again," Gerald Majola, the chief executive of Cricket South Africa (CSA), told Sport24. "It was only right that I confirmed with him as the incumbent in the position before the job was advertised."

van Zyl, 48, who was South Africa's assistant coach in the past, took over as interim national coach for the tour of India in February, after Mickey Arthur resigned from the job in January. He was then confirmed as interim coach until the 2011 World Cup following a CSA board meeting in February.

Majola said Van Zyl would return to his role as the coach at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. "Corrie's reasons are personal, but no doubt also include the fact that the position of coach is not a full-time one," said Majola. "He'll in all likelihood be moving to Pretoria."

van Zyl confirmed he would not be reapplying for the role of national coach. "I was originally appointed by CSA at the High Performance Centre and really enjoyed it," he said. "It was a full-time appointment, but the main reason is that it's a job in which I believe I can make a long-term difference to South African cricket."

van Zyl said he would inform the team about his decision on Thursday. South Africa are presently hosting Zimbabwe for a two-Twenty20 and three-ODI series after which they are scheduled to play Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in October-November. India then tour South Africa in December-January 2011, after which South Africa head to the subcontinent for the World Cup.