Arthur quits as SA coach

Former pacer Corrie van Zyl may lead the team on Indian tour

Former pacer Corrie van Zyl may lead the team on Indian tour

South African cricket coach Mickey Arthur has reportedly stepped down from his post due to differences with captain Graeme Smith. Former pacer Corrie van Zyl is likely to be appointed as Arthur's stop-gap successor for the team's tour of India next month. Arthur quit his post on Monday after his relations with Smith reportedly "deteriorated irreparably" during the just concluded Test series against England which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Although there was no comment from Cricket South Africa (CSA) or Van Zyl, the Afrikaans daily 'Beeld' quoted sources as saying that the former assistant coach would leave for India with the team on Saturday. CSA had last year appointed Van Zyl as performance manager at the Centre for Excellence in Pretoria. There are reports that Arthur's right-hand man, Vincent Barnes, has also been dismissed and the future of the national selection committee under Mike Procter is also in doubt as CSA is reviewing the team's performance against England.

The relationship between Smith and Arthur broke down during that series and both were involved in a war of words. Arthur, who was appointed in 2005, had led the Proteas to their first Test victory against England in more than 40 years when they went there and also guided the team in their triumph over Australia on their own turf last year.

But Arthur failed to secure a return series against the Australians, the inaugural Twenty20 world championship and the Champions Trophy. The 'Beeld' reported that Arthur had met CSA chief executive Gerald Majola on Monday to agree on a settlement package after the coach last year declined an 800,000 rands offer to coach England.

He had opted to serve out the rest of his CSA contract until the 2011 World Cup in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The daily said Arthur is expected to host a media conference in his home town of East London today. Meanwhile, speculation is rife that former captain Kepler Wessels and former English player Jeremy Snipes are on the shortlist with Van Zyl for a permanent appointment to the position of coach.

Snipes joined the Proteas last year as a consultant and has a good relationship with Smith because they both serve in the IPL side Rajasthan Royals. South Africa's tour of India starts with a Test series from February 6 in Nagpur.