When the World Test Championship came into the FTP in 2019, Enoch Nkwe was at the helm of South Africa team as its team director. He was then demoted as an assistant coach unceremoniously before he quit the post for good. In 2022, he returned as director of cricket overseeing a significant transition in white-ball and red-ball cricket with split coaches.
The 42-year-old, gleeful after the Proteas won the WTC beating the mighty Australia, speaks to The Indian Express about the road that South Africa took to become new WTC champions and why Temba Bavuma was chosen as captain. Its not the colour, its the character, he explains.
Making Temba Bavuma the captain wasnt a popular choice when CSA made the appointment. With the WTC win, he has left an undeniable footprint in South
Africas history. How much does it mean to the Black community?
Definitely this is very powerful. This is impactful. We have seen what CSA has done and the impact that he has had as a leader. In the cricketing space, he is now taking the belief to a new level among the kids in the township, who never believed that they can actually play cricket, become batsmen and also captain the country and lead them to becoming world champions. Now all the young kids and especially the ones in disadvantaged areas will get that belief. Even generally the young kids of today, they are going to start looking at this whole thing with a different lens because they can believe that it doesnt matter which background you come from, you have the opportunity and you can do it.
It is what Temba has done. He has restored so much faith and belief in the individuals and it just goes to show it is not about colour. It is about the character. You put the right person with the right character in a position to lead the people and inspire the nation, and that is the result you get. He has been great at that. Hes been fantastic at that. He did it and continues to do it for Proteas cricket.