What's next in the saga over Russell Domingo?

Former Proteas coach Ray Jennings understands the difficult position Russell Domingo finds himself in.

In 2005, Jennings was also asked to reapply for his job during the successful West Indies tour.

Jennings was replaced by current Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur, who oversaw the landmark test series win in England and Australia in 2008.

Jennings said he saw the value of advertising a coach's post while there is still an incumbent, but said timing was everything.

"He is in the middle of a series and he's embarking on one of his biggest series in July. At the end of that series, this comes up and while it happens now, it creates uncertainty for Russell and the team.

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" I was in the same position in 2005 in the West Indies. With each game that you play, you have this thing on top of your head in regards of you getting the job or not.

"Timing is everything when it comes to posting job applications, and picking the right series to do that is very important.

"Sometimes history has a funny way of repeating itself because I was doing well, yet I was replaced," Jennings said.

"I would think Russell is disappointed because I'd think he feels that he's been doing a very good job and there's no reason why he shouldn't continue.

"His contract has been extended a few times and there could be questions around the extensions and why shouldn't they be repeated. The closer it gets to the due date, the tougher it's going to be on Russell and on the side.

"When you look at the past eight months, the team has done well, but further than that, the wheels were falling off."

However, Jennings was critical of the contract extension Domingo received in October last year.

The four-month extension came in the wake of a forgettable 2015/16 season where the test side was caned 3-0 in India, lost 2-1 at home to England and failed to get into the Tri-Nations final in the West Indies.

Domingo was also the main subject of a national team review that was initially canned, then completed earlier this year.

"While I agree with the advertising of the post, the contract shouldn't have been extended.

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"It asks questions of how long a coach should remain in a job, what is the vibe and the culture in the club, is it right or wrong to extend his contract for a second or third time or is it wrong to expose him by making him apply for his job?

"If you do the contract again after the application, it's a softer blow on the team," Jennings said.

Jennings's predecessor and former Proteas limited-overs seamer Eric Simons said he didn't have a problem with CSA following corporate procedures by advertising the post.

"My understanding is that they're following corporate governance and everyone was under the impression that this was going to happen the last time they extended his contract.

"If they're happy with him that he can reapply to be reappointed, then it's following due process. That's the way I've understood it," Simons said.

"In many ways Russell's destiny is in his own hands. If Russell and his charges mastermind wins in New Zealand and in England, it's going to be difficult for CSA to appoint someone else. Whenever you appoint a coach, you're often always going to be 18 months to two years away from a big tournament, and they keep coming. If the 2019 World Cup is the key focus, then this is the last time to change coaches because it's a decent stretch to implement changes."

A CSA insider said the decision should not have come as a surprise to Domingo because his contract is going to expire at the end of August.

"Russell is aware that his contract was going to expire and it goes without saying that when your contract is about to expire, you have to reapply for the said position. It's not a big deal.

"His contract has been extended and in terms of good corporate governance, the post has to be advertised.

"Just because his post has been advertised doesn't mean he won't be rehired," the insider said.

sub_head_start Pretenders to Domingo's throne sub_head_end

GEOFF TOYANA: While Jennings knows his former South African Under-19 assistant coach is earmarked for higher honours, he is worried about Toyana's "young age" (42) as coach.

Domingo was 38 at the time of his appointment and current Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford (56) was 39 when he replaced the late Bob Woolmer as South Africa's coach in 1999.

"It's going to be tough if Geoffrey (42) gets the job because of his experience and the inheriting of players. If he inherits players who are still growing in the side, he will be judged by the performances of the players. Even the best coach in the world will struggle when they've got a young team. It could be very interesting if he gets the job because the timing of his chance is very important. He's done very well with the Highveld Lions with young and experienced players, but one hopes if he gets the job, it will be at the right time," Jennings said.

MARK BOUCHER: The former Proteas wicketkeeper (40) is a novice compared to Toyana from a coaching perspective and his qualifications were an issue when he took the Titans job last year.

However, the team has responded well to him by defending the CSA T20 Challenge and making a decent fist of their Sunfoil Series title defence.

Jennings also has issues with Boucher's coaching experience despite a long playing career. Boucher, along with Cape Cobras coach Ashwell Prince, have the least amount of coaching experience even though they have a combined 213 test caps gathered between 1997 and 2012.

"Mark's a fighter and what he offers is different to what Geoffrey offers. He's a smart guy who will grow in any job as long as there's passion. When you talk about a national job, it's not only cricket; it's about handling the backlash of the fans, the media and the board members. You become the face of the negative and positive attitude of the country," Jennings said.

ROB WALTER: Jennings admitted to not being aware of Walter's coaching credentials, but the current Otago Volts mentor took the Titans to another level.

Walter (42) built on the platform left by former England batsman and current Somerset director of cricket Matthew Maynard.

Under Walter's stewardship, the Titans won every domestic trophy available to them in the three seasons he was with the franchise. One of the reasons behind his departure to the Land of the Long White Cloud was the narrowing of the opportunity for him to coach the national team. He was part of Gary Kirsten's support staff between 2009 and 2012.

"I don't know Rob in regards to coaching. I've worked with Geoff as he was my assistant coach with the under-19's before he moved and I've worked with Mark as a player during my tenure as national team coach. I don't really know Walter's character that well and I've never sat in team meetings with him. It's tough for me to comment on him."

PAUL ADAMS: SA's most successful post-isolation test spinner looked an odds-on candidate until the Cape Cobras storm blew up, which saw the 40-year-old being moved from the coaching position.

Jennings said the upheaval at the Cobras, which saw a number of players lodge a grievance with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, may have cost him. Adams was backed to the hilt by the board, but clearly lost the dressing room with the players threatening to go on strike.

The fact the players protested with their performances is clear through how they've rapidly improved under Prince. They were winless last year in the Sunfoil Series, but have rebounded this year and are in contention.

"He hasn't had a good last six months and his image has been dented by what happened at the Cobras. Regardless of how good you are as a coach, publicity, be it right or wrong, hasn't actually helped the image he wanted to create as a national team coach."

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