Mickey Arthur will be missed

Though Mickey Arthur's decision to quit is yet to be confirmed by the South African board, the opinion writers have already started work. In iol.co.za, Kevin McCallum says he will be missed but he had run the average lifespan of an international coach.

Arthur perhaps didn't love the stress and tension that came with the job (who would?), but he revelled in being involved in the highs and lows that the national team has romped through since he was appointed in May 2005. If he was hurt by the suggestions that his nickname was Mickey Mouse and he was no more than Smith's puppet, then Arthur didn't show it.

With Arthur quitting as South Africa coach, Kepler Wessels' name quickly leapt to the forefront of speculative replacement lists. His similarities with captain Graeme Smith leads Rob Houwing in Sport24.com to believe a potent combination was in the offing.

The mere arrival of Wessels would probably quell that swiftly, and it is possible that some of his known non-negotiables – like personal discipline and devotion to conditioning – would help propel Smith and company beyond just sporadic major triumph but also to the ability to bed down emphatically at pinnacles rather than visit them disappointingly fleetingly.