Could Dan be the man for the UCB?

If Danny Jordaan feels he needs a change of pace after the bitter disappointment of South Africa's failed bid for the 2006 football World Cup, he could do worse than consider swopping sports. South African cricket are in the market for a man with precisely his qualifications and credentials.

Quite what Jordaan does now is open to conjecture. There have been reports that so impressed were Fifa with Jordaan as chief executive of the South African bid committee that he is to be offered a position on the Fifa executive. It is also possible that South Africa will bid for the 2110 World Cup, in which case Jordaan would be the obvious choice to head the second bid.

What seems indisputable, however, is that Jordaan was the central cog around which the highly-regarded South African bid revolved. On a personal and professional level, his shares have soared. If he decides to break with football - and who could him blame after the effort and heartache of the World Cup bid - managing another sport might have its appeal.

Jordaan has been unofficially linked with the United Cricket Board for some months now. All things being equal, Ali Bacher is due to step aside as UCB managing director before the end of this year to turn to organising the 2003 World Cup on a full-time basis. In terms of the UCB transformation policy, he will be replaced by a person of colour.

Bacher's intention is to groom his successor at the UCB over a six-month period before handing over the reins fully and turning to the World Cup. The UCB has started the process of examining possible candidates for the managing director's job and for this reason he is unwilling to pass comment on the possibility of him being succeed by Jordaan.

"I can't say anything about any candidate or possible candidate," said Bacher this week. "It would be completely unfair to all the other candidates."

Nevertheless, if Jordaan made himself available, it is difficult to believe that the UCB would be able to ignore his proven expertise as a negotiator, administrator and diplomat.

Jordaan has not applied for the UCB job as he made clear in Business Day this week. "I have not applied for the cricket post," he is quoted as saying, "and to the best of my knowledge the job was advertised and a short list of applicants has been finalised."

Well, yes and no. The post has been advertised and some applicants have had preliminary interviews, but the process is some way from completion. If Jordaan was to apply at this stage (or could be persuaded to apply), he would hardly be turned away on the grounds of having missed an earlier deadline.

Realistically, it's up to Jordaan, but this, of course, depends on what he wants to do next. There might, however, be one compelling reason for him to look a new challenge with cricket: at least he'd get the chance to be involved with a World Cup that wouldn't be snatched away from him at the finishing line.