da betobet： Phil Russell will begin a second stint at KwaZulu-Natal’s coach in2004-05, it was announced today
Telford Vice26-Jun-2004Phil Russell will begin a second stint at KwaZulu-Natal’s coach in2004-05, it was announced today.Russell, who played 170 matches for Derbyshire and also coached them,takes over from the West Indian Eldine Baptiste, who became anincreasingly unpopular figure with the players over the course of histhree seasons in charge. Baptiste’s tenure was preceded by Russell’sfirst – two-season – period as coach, in which he led the Dolphins fromeighth place in the first-class SuperSport Series in 1998-99 to theone-day Standard Bank Cup title in 2000-01. Russell was widely creditedwith laying the foundations for KwaZulu-Natal’s triumph in both theone-day and first-class competitions in 2001-02.Graham Ford,the former South African national coach, was widely tippedto get the job, but his insistence on continuing to run his privatecoaching academy was unacceptable to the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union(KZNCU). “We were willing for him to retain ownership of his academy,with a manager in place,” said Sathie Govender, the KZNCU president, whoadmitted that Ford had been the union’s first choice. “Unfortunately heneeded this to be a part-time position. The coach of the Dolphins is animportant position, and we can’t afford for it to be a part-time one.”Russell spent most of June in England on holiday, and returned homethis week to a pleasant surprise. “I’m quite excited, actually,” Russellsaid. “They’ve given me a new lease on life. When I went on holiday toEngland, it seemed that Fordie was going to get it. When I came back,circumstances had changed.”The president [Govender] asked me if I would do it, and I thoughtabout it for half a second.”Russell, who has served KwaZulu-Natal cricket as groundsman, directorof playing affairs and academy manager, has signed a two-year deal, andwill bring a far lighter touch than Baptiste, whose perceivedinflexibility cost him his job. KwaZulu-Natal reached the SuperSportSeries final in 2003-04, but were thrashed by 108 runs by WesternProvince. They finished eighth in the Standard Bank Cup, and fifth inthe inaugural Standard Bank Pro20 Series.That record prompted Dale Benkenstein to resign the captaincy aftereight years in charge. He has been replaced by 21-year-old Hashim Amla.”I’m ecstatic about that,” Amla said of Russell’s appointment. “He hasso much experience, and I’m really looking forward to working with him.I have the highest admiration and respect for him, and I’m quite surehe’ll do a great job.”