"News to me" - Jonty Rhodes denies his appointment as Sri Lankan consultant coach
In a surprising turn of events, former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes denied his appointment as a consultant coach for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) despite the official announcement yesterday.
SLC announced the decision taken by the executive committee in a press release on January 18. Rhodes' appointment to train local coaches and trainers was one of several steps made by the committee to advance cricket in Sri Lanka.
The statement from the press release was as follows:
"Sri Lanka Cricket decided to obtain the services of some of the best-known talents in international cricket to provide advanced training for local coaches, trainers, and physiotherapists to enhance their skills and competencies by conducting periodic training programs in selected areas."
"Towards this, the Executive Committee decided to obtain the services of former South African cricketer Jonty Rhodes, who is a specialist fielding coach—former India National Team fast bowling coach Bharat Arun—and former Sri Lanka National Team physiotherapist Alex Kountouri," stated the press release.
However, Jonty Rhodes took to his official Twitter handle to express his surprise over the news a day later.
"Hmm. This is news to me #checkyourfacts," tweeted Rhodes.
After further clarification from the page that reported the news, Rhodes continued to express his surprise.
The 54-year-old is currently the fielding coach of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL and the Durban Super Giants (DSG) in the SA20.
Rhodes has also previously been with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) for the role.
Jonty Rhodes was an integral part of the dominant South African teams of the 1990s and early 2000s
Jonty Rhodes is widely regarded as the best fielder to ever grace the cricket field, with his ability to pull off miraculous catches and stops in the backward-point region.
The 54-year-old was integral to South Africa's dominant run in the 1990s and early 2000s. Included in this period was their lone ICC title to date in the 1998 Knockout Trophy in Bangladesh.
Rhodes scored a crucial 61* off 63 deliveries in the quarter-final against England to help the Proteas win their first-ever knockout game in an ICC event. His fielding was vital to the African nation winning the semi-final and final against Sri Lanka and the West Indies.
In a stellar 11-year career, Rhodes played 245 ODIs and 52 Tests and scored over 8,400 runs with five centuries and 50 half-centuries. He was also the first South African cricketer to take 100 catches in ODIs.
The champion cricketer retired following South Africa's tumultuous 2003 World Cup campaign at home.