Graeme Smith, the former South African cricket captain, withdrew his name from consideration to become the new Director of Cricket in the country.
He made the announcement on his Twitter account last week, saying that he did not feel that he would be given the necessary freedom and support by Cricket South Africa (CSA) to implement the changes he felt would be necessary.
The Director of Cricket would be responsible for much of the sport in the country – from age-group sides up to the national side.
Smith is one of the sport’s most successful players and captains but there was concern he did not have the necessary management and administrative experience.
The candidates still in the hunt for the role are Dave Nosworthy, a former Border cricketer, with coaching experience in England, New Zealand, and South Africa; Corrie van Zyl, a former international cricketer and CSA general manager; and Hussein Manack, who has worked as a cricket talent scout and played cricket for Gauteng.
South African cricket is in fairly dire straits at the moment, The national side did poorly at this year’s World Cup and were whitewashed in a three-match Test series in India last month. CSA is also facing serious financial difficulties.