Clearing the air over Arthur controversy

In the Independent Online, Patrick Compton looks into six key questions surrounding the resignation of South Africa coach Mickey Arthur. Some of his conclusions are: that Arthur was told he would be sacked if he didn't resign, that the captain-coach relationship was not a factor, that transformation was the decisive issue and that whoever the new South Africa coach is can expect more pressure to include black players.

Also read the interview of former South Africa captain and former managing director of the South African board, Ali Bacher, in the Kolkata-based Telegraph. Bacher says the underlying issue is the inability to find a black successor to Makhaya Ntini, whose Test days seem to be over.

And in the Times, Simon Wilde writes that shoehorning Lonwabo Tsotsobe (the black player with the best credentials for making Graeme Smith's side) into the Test team at this stage would hurt both South Africa and Tsotsobe. He says the big challenge is in spreading cricket culture in the South Africa's interior areas.