Nkwe not daunted by first assignment

SA team director says failure to win in India is not going to be the end of the world

Failure to win in India is “not going to be the end of the world” for South Africa, feels the team’s Pep Guardiola-inspired interim team director Enoch Nkwe.

In a role that is all-encompassing, Nkwe, 36, is the national cricket team’s head coach, selector and team manager, with other members of the support staff reporting directly to him.

His first assignment is daunting: a full-fledged tour of India.

“I understand that it’s going to be a big challenge, but I strongly believe that we can really make an immediate impact,” Nkwe said at his first official press conference.

“And if it doesn’t happen, it’s not going to be the end of the world. There’s always a big picture to everything.”

South Africa starts the India tour with limited-over matches, the first in Dharamsala on September 15.

The Tests follow in Visakhapatnam (Oct. 2-6), Pune (Oct. 10-14) and Ranchi (Oct. 19-23), the first for the team in the newly-formed ICC Test Championship.

Though he did not play international cricket, Nkwe tasted success coaching the Lions in the 2018-19 domestic season.

He also has had coaching spells as assistant with the Netherlands national side, on the Canadian T20 circuit and with the South Africa-A team, including a tour to India.

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