Ahead of South Africa's tour in India, interim team director Enoch Nkwe, has revealed that he looks up to Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola as an inspiration. He also stated that failure to win in India is "not going to be the end of the world" for his team.
In a role has vast responsibilities, Nkwe is the national cricket team's head coach, selector and team manager. Support staff members report directly to him.
His first task at the helm of South Africa is a tour of India. South Africa start the India tour with limited overs matches, the first in Dharamsala on September 15. The Tests follow in Visakhapatnam (Oct. 2-6), Pune (Oct. 10-14) and Ranchi (Oct. 19-23), the first for the team in the newly-formed ICC Test Championship.
"I understand that it's going to be a big challenge, but I strongly believe that we can really make an immediate impact," Nkwe said at his first official press conference.
"And if it doesn't happen, it's not going to be the end of the world. There's always a big picture to everything."
Nkwe draws inspiration from former Barcelona head coach Pep Guardiola.
"He is on another level. There are a lot of things you can learn from different sporting codes. I have followed his work and enjoy how he backs his philosophy, he always tries to set new boundaries and break new records.
"Seeing his growth, from coaching one of the biggest clubs in the world (Barcelona) at the age of 37, is an inspiration," Nkwe said of the man who had coached the Catalan giants to many memorable triumphs during his time in Spain.
Nkwe never played any international cricket, although he tasted success coaching the Lions in the 2018/19 domestic season. He also served as an assistant with the Netherlands national side.
(PTI Inputs)
