Kirsten fits the bill for the SA job
It's important to look at what sort of coach South Africa need, rather than simply who the best coach on offer is, says Tristan Holme, writing in Cricket 365
Nikita Bastian
25-Feb-2013
It's important to look at what sort of coach South Africa need, rather than simply who the best coach on offer is, says Tristan Holme, writing in Cricket 365. And, Holme says, Kirsten is that man.
As Dale Steyn said recently, the Proteas weren't "out-skilled or outplayed" by New Zealand in that [World Cup] quarter-final. Instead they were 'psyched out', to use terminology from the daft yet discerning movie Baseketball ... Given the above, it's fair to say that South Africa need a good shrink more than they need someone with masses of insight into individuals' techniques.
... They do need someone who won't simply be a buddy in the way that Mickey Arthur was in some respects guilty of. Taking all of this into account it's perfectly clear who the obvious choice is, provided he wants the job. Gary Kirsten has shown with India that he can be as much a mentor as a coach, which is often what is required at international level.
Nikita Bastian is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo