Johannesburg - It was all smiles following their first face to face meeting in almost a year on Thursday, but both Mark Boucher and Enoch Nkwe know that success in their respective roles will be judged by wins and trophies.
In that meeting, which Nkwe said started a little awkwardly, there was agreement from both that they were in the right positions now to get the best out of each other.
They need each other and the Proteas men’s side the primary revenue generator for South African cricket needs them to be successful.
It has been a rocky relationship but there was the sense, from Nkwe at least, that bygones are bygones.
Nkwe, Cricket SA’S director of cricket, is in a position he’s always wanted to be.
While he had fondness for coaching, as his post playing career unfolded, he found himself more attracted to the philosophical, structural and strategic elements of sport. Create a philosophy, build a structure within which that philosophy can function and then make strategic alignments to implement all of it.
Nkwe loves burying his head in books about business, he takes the best examples from other sports, borrows tips from football and its leading protagonists, including a great favourite of his, Pep Guardiola.
“I’m massive on (defining) a playing philosophy. Yes, in business and sport, the outcome is always important and the true reflection of the strength or not of the system.
“But one of the biggest things for me, as to how to make a difference, is to have a clear philosophy from the top all the way down to the bottom
it is important that we all speak the same language.”
That will mean engagement at ground level in rural communities, schools both the posh private ones which traditionally provide the most cricketers for the national team and the public ones where sport in general has been neglected as part of a general malaise affecting the education system in South Africa.
“We have to work out how to
ensure that the philosophy is understood at under-11 and under-13 level, so that flows into under-17 and under-19 level and then hopefully the transition between being an under-19 cricketer and a professional one will be easier.”
Those are very broad and ambitious plans, so what is the philosophy? “In summary, it’s about playing a very, very positive brand of cricket,” said Nkwe.
“I’ve always seen us, because we are so diverse, that we bring a very strong element to the game in terms of how we can show the world and lead the cricketing space.
“On a playing front we’ve seen it in the past that when we throw the first punch, we’ve been very dominant. I’d like to see that at Proteas level but also down the pipeline. Everyone needs to understand that is something we must do.
“We must ask ourselves: how do we set new boundaries? How do we become trendsetters?”
England, whom both the Proteas men and women’s teams face over the next few weeks, have made changes
certainly in the case of its men’s national team that have captured the imagination of the public.
Rob Key, appointed to the same role as Nkwe with the England Cricket Board, has overseen a radical change in philosophy, that has led to some thrilling performances under the men’s side’s new head coach Brendon Mccullum.
Nkwe’s plan sounds similar. “Every time we have been positive, taken risks and not been afraid, we’ve actually been a strong force in world cricket. I know other countries have spoken highly of us from a talent perspective.
“Months down the line I will be able to clarify it a bit more. I still need to engage with the coaches and unpack it further. Obviously, it will be seen on the screens, through the players we pick selection will play a massive role, in terms of the brand we play because selection needs to complement that. That you will see over time because that is something you will see throughout the system.”
From women’s cricket which Nkwe explained would receive special focus in terms of creating more playing opportunities domestically to the junior and senior provincial levels, everyone must buy into the philosophy.
Nkwe’s contract runs until the 2027 World Cup, which will primarily be hosted in South Africa. While there are short-term goals in the next 18 months, that event in five years’ time appears to be paramount.
Boucher may not be in charge by then his contract ends next year but Nkwe’s philosophy should have taken hold of South African cricket.
The outcome of that event, will determine if there are more smiles for Nkwe and South African cricket.