Trust is a fragile thing.
It reminds me of an old joke - trust is like a balloon; it only takes a prick to destroy it.
And it seems like there are a lot of pricks at Cricket South Africa (CSA) at the moment.
This week, after CSA took control of the Western Province Cricket Association (WPCA) in September, the Newlands-based body won an arbitration that gave them power over their own its affairs again.
CSA were told that they were “over-reaching” in WPCA’s business.
And that’s down to CSA just being a bunch of untrustworthy characters.
Only last month, they resolved to pay players for outstanding wages for last year’s Mzansi Super League after a long battle with the South African Cricketers’ Association (Saca).
And this week’s Joburg High Court ruling was quite a statement, as it characterises much of the national cricket body’s recent behaviour.
Their post-World Cup decision to bring the Proteas closer under their control is nothing more than over-reach.
The newly-created positions of Director of Cricket and Team Director sounds like boring corporate speak.
To be clear, these new titles are for sports director and Proteas head coach, respectively.
But with no-one wanting to take the reins at CSA, it seems nobody wants to put their faith in the national cricket body.
CHILLED: Gary Kirsten is happy at Durban Heat. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
Big-name suitors like former Proteas skipper Graeme Smith and one-time coach Gary Kirsten don’t want to touch the job with a long-handle cricket bat.
That’s because if you are given a job, the last thing you want is your bosses checking out your every move.
Micromanagement is a frustratingly negative way of overseeing things. It breeds distrust and resentment.
And Biff and Gazza saw that coming a mile away, like Tabraiz Shamsi’s wrong-un.
What CSA is looking for is a YES man - a lackey, a cronie, a spineless fall guy.
STUCK IN A RUT: CSA CEO Thabang Moroe. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
But they won’t get that from people who are independent thinkers with a track record of success.
And unless the top manne at CSA change their style of helicopter management, they will never move forward.
What they deserve is a charlatan and a chancer, who knows absolutely nothing about the job, but who has played them for a fool instead.
Of course this won’t be great for South African cricket, but neither is the current situation.
This sort of close-mindedness doesn’t just affect struggling teams.
AMBITION: Kiwi Dave Rennie is new Oz coach. Picture: Bruce Lim.
The same thing is happening to New Zealand Rugby.
Having dominated world rugby for more that a decade, All Blacks rugby also looks like a poisoned chalice.
Since Graham Henry took the job in 2003, Steve Hansen’s departure at the final whistle of the semifinal against England last month meant that the All Blacks had been led by just two men in 16 years.
Not only that, but Hansen was basically handed the reins after being Henry’s lieutenant.
The All Blacks was pretty much a closed shop.
The mistrust it created saw the likes of Warren Gatland, Wayne Pivac, Joe Schmidt, Jamie Joseph and Dave Rennie all pass up invitations to apply for the vacant job.
Can you imagine coaches of this calibre saying “no thanks” a job of the All Blacks profile?
Well it happened.
And it happened all because bosses are too controlling.
Perhaps CSA need to realise that they need to be more widen their narrow horizons in order to resurrect the failing Proteas, because right now they just can’t attract anyone to work with them.