Nkwe switches focus solely to national teams

Cricket SA CEO Pholetsi Moseki says the portfolio of director of cricket has become too large for one person to handle, necessitating changes which see Enoch Nkwe now solely responsible for national teams. 

The drastic alterations to the administrative structure has Nkwe with a new title — director: national teams and high performance, in a switch from director of cricket — while Eddie Khoza takes over as executive: domestic cricket.

“We realised that [director of cricket] was a huge portfolio that was multifaceted and, particularly with domestic cricket, we felt it required more detailed attention,” Moseki said. 

“It is primarily for operational reasons. There’s so much responsibility attached to the national teams, with ICC events every year, the growth and now extra demands with the women’s teams, and we felt that to allow Enoch more room we wanted him to focus on those aspects.” 

Moseki said besides just the Proteas, an expanded SA A programme, more matches for emerging squads — men’s and women’s teams — will keep Nkwe away from overseeing provincial cricket. 

Khoza, who has been employed at Cricket SA for more than a decade, and most recently had the portfolio overseeing Cricket SA’s pathways, will look after domestic cricket across the two divisions in the men’s game.

The recently established competitions for women’s cricket will also fall under his watch. “They have to work together,” said Moseki.

“There is a lot that needs to be addressed at provincial level, from ensuring coaches have the right credentials to logistical issues such as travel and where players stay for away games.”

Nkwe was appointed director of cricket in May 2022, after Graeme Smith, who had been in the position for just under three years, stepped away to begin focusing on the SA20.

Nkwe returned to SA in 2018 after a brief stint in the Netherlands and coached the Lions, winning two titles with them in his first year, along with the inaugural Mzansi Super League as head coach of the Jozi Stars. 

Amid the administrative upheaval that engulfed Cricket SA in 2018, Nkwe was appointed team director of the Proteas men’s side, but when Smith took over initially as interim director of cricket in 2019, Nkwe became the Proteas assistant coach under Mark Boucher. He resigned from that position in 2021.

Moseki said Cricket SA had been guided by similar changes made by the England Cricket Board, where Rob Key holds the position of MD for the England men’s team and Neil Snowball is the MD of competitions and major events, a position in which he oversees domestic competitions. 

“We’re hoping that clearer focus will allow both to give more detailed attention to two important parts of cricket.

“We want to see improved professionalism in domestic cricket and for people in charge at provincial unions to be held more responsible in the jobs in which they are appointed,” said Moseki.