The Proteas could not have asked for bigger names to turn them into world beaters again.
They have an absolute dream management team.
From CEO to coaching consultants, they have a bunch of men harking back to a heyday of South African cricket.
With Jacques Faul running the business side of things, they have a guy who runs a tight ship and lets cricket get taken care of by the cricket men.
He and Dave Richardson will see the structure of the national game revamped to keep professionals happy and hopefully have the best talent available to the Proteas.
The last proposal, put forward by suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, saw the South African Cricketers’ Association take Cricket South Africa (CSA) to court.
BRINGING IN THE CHANGES: Director of Cricket Graeme Smith. Picture: Muzi Ntombela/BackpagePix.
Taking care of the sporting side of the enterprise is Graeme Smith as Director of Cricket.
In Biff, they have a former captain whose will to win is second none - unless we’re counting Hansie Cronje.
Leading SA in world-record number of games to a world-record number of wins, he will bring back the mentality we need.
And he has appointed his two most trusted lieutenants as head coach and batting guru.
Mark Boucher will take the reins of the Proteas and Jacques Kallis will take care of the batters’ issues.
While the triumvirate was branded “the clique” by Herschelle Gibbs in the past, their stature in SA cricket is unmatched.
Boucher is a veteran of 157 Test matches, with coaching experience to match.
His work with the Titans has seen them dominate the domestic scene, before his national team assistant Enoch Nkwe took the Lions to the summit last season.
Kallis has the numbers to back his status as Mzansi’s greatest ever cricketer.
Kallis is a national treasure for his batting excellence.
With 25 868 Test and ODI runs - including 62 centuries - and 565 wickets under his belt, it means no other man can rival his pedigree.
Add to that a technique admired the world over and his work as Kolkata Knight Riders coach, Kallis is the best man for the job.
CLICK: Jacques Kallis. Picture: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP.
If Kallis can improve the middle order’s powers of concentration and give them the confidence to build their innings by manipulating the opposition’s field, the runs will start to flow.
With the increasing possibility of AB de Villiers returning for next year’s T20 World Cup, our batting line-up can be transformed again.
But this group of leaders has the potential to be greater than the sum of its parts.
Together, Biff, Bouch and Kallis have presence and, crucially, they know the modern game - played it and coached it.
Whether we are competing in the Test Championship, the ODI or next year’s T20 World Cup, there is not one player in the current squad who will not take advice from them. They can only improve under these guys.
Imagine how Faf feels about having these minds at his disposal when he wants to know what to do at the toss.
Players can ask for that last-minute bit of advice just to calm the nerves before walking out to bat. No one will want to disappoint these manne.
KNOW-HOW: Charl Langeveldt. Picture: Samuel Shivambu/BackpagePix.
And that’s not all. Charl Langeveldt was poached from Russell Domingo’s Bangladesh team to head up the bowling unit.
There isn’t much Kagiso Rabada can improve in his game, but Langes can still show him a paar dinge.
The seaming legend can help the pace attack get that elusive reverse swing.
His ability to out-think his batsman can only be matched by Vernon Philander.
And his bowling strategies for each man in the squad will never be as one-dimensional as they were under Ottis Gibson.
If it sounds like I’m excited, it’s because I am.
I have no doubt that the current Test squad members are also looking forward to these ouens joining the training camp this week.
I’ll even go as far as to say that World Cup champions England are paaping after expecting to steamroller a broken Proteas squad in their upcoming tour just last week.
I’m sure we’re gonna see some of that missing Proteas Fire this summer.
SAME THING: The Springboks were in the same situation 18 months ago. Picture: Matthew Childs/Reuters.
And don’t forget the Springbok factor.
Not too long ago, the Bokke were in the same boat as the Proteas. Look at them now - world champions for a third time.
Perhaps a meeting with Rassie Erasmus will help. I’m sure he learnt some lessons that could help Biff and the boys as they look to get themselves back on track.