5 big moments under Russell Domingo
With the fuss around the appointment of South Africa’s new coach finally finding a conclusion, Russell Domingo’s stint was confirmed to have reached its sunset last week. Former West Indies bowler and England’s incumbent bowling coach Ottis Gibson was chosen as his successor.
The five-man committee responsible for selecting his replacement brought to an end a decorated stint of head coach lasting for more than four years. Having assisted Kirsten since 2011 when the latter was named the coach, Domingo had initially taken over only as a T20 coach in December, 2012.
In this fruitful journey, he has seen it all – from the retirements Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith to his country having four different Test captains. But 5 standout moments across his tenure will always remain worthy of recalling.
#1 Test series wins in Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand
Domingo continued the envious trend of clinching Test series on the opposition’s soil, a run which commenced as far back as in 2006 under Mickey Arthur, spilled onto Kirsten and ended nine years later only on the extreme spin-friendly climes of India. Trips to Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand in 2014, 2016 and 2017, respectively, were rich in reward with the scoreline favouring the visitors on all three occasions.
The most appeasing aspect of those wins, however, remained the fact that while both Kallis and Smith had retired before the Sri Lanka tour, victory on either side of the Tasman was achieved in the absence of the ferocious Dale Steyn and the dominating AB de Villiers.
A combination of the experience of the seniors and the energy of the young proved successful in eclipsing foreign conditions with ease. Domingo always ensured a hand crept up lest South Africa fell into trouble, and his stewards never disappointed them whenever he asked them for more.