Proteas coach Ottis Gibson must select the best cricket 15 players in the country to get the national team to the final of the World Cup later this year.
That’s the word from Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Thabang Moroe, who revealed that Gibson and his selectors are free to choose whatever squad they feel can get the job done in England.
Answering a question about racial targets in the team, Moroe says: “It is up to them what the final 15 will look like.
“I would like to think they will have that [target] picture in mind. Most importantly, the final 15 will be the best that we have in the country.”
With Gibson’s contract ending at the conclusion of the World Cup, Moroe says it might not be the end of the road for the West Indian in South Africa.
Moroe explains: “We had a very positive talk with Ottis, he is open to continuing.
“But it is for the (CSA) Board to evaluate his performances, his KPIs with what he’s achieved for us thus far, what changes they would like to see, and they will obviously communicate that to (CSA) management and then management will sit with the coach. It is also up to the coach to look at the terms of any new contract and if he’s agreeable to those.
“Ottis was hired to win the World Cup but at the very least, the chairperson of the board said he must qualify for the final.
“That would augur very well for us as CSA.”