Vincent Barnes knew he wasn’t going to play international cricket after 1991.
His had been a legendary career in the old South African Cricket Board, but he was well aware that his best years were behind him when unity was eventually achieved.
“But I knew I was going to make sure that I helped black players play for South Africa,” he said. “I had no regrets about missing out, because I knew what I wanted to do.”
Barnes was a national assistant coach who was responsible for the bowlers for eight years from 2003. His work took place behind the scenes, although the results of his efforts were tangible in that they could be determined by how the likes of Makhaya Ntini, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell performed.
It is a reflection of how well he did his job, that South Africa’s attack in 2008 was widely regarded as Test cricket’s best, though you’d hardly hear praise for him.
There was the practice session with Ntini in Trinidad in 2005, where he got the champion fast bowler to go through his run-up and action with his eyes closed – Ntini went on to take 13-132, against the West Indies, the best figures by a South African in Tests, just a match after receiving a roasting from then-coach Ray Jennings.
Or straightening Dale Steyn’s run-up before the series against New Zealand in 2006 – the move has paid rich dividends for South African cricket.
Barnes’s role, though, went beyond the technicalities of bowling. “When I joined the team it was difficult because there was no one for young black players to identify with other than Goolam (Rajah, the national team’s long-term manager). You have to get a good understanding of where a player is from and what makes him tick,” Barnes said. “I had worked with the under-19s at Academy level so I had an idea of what a Thami Tsolekile was thinking.
“You had to realise that when Makhaya Ntini came into the squad, it was a different world for him. A guy like Lonwabo Tsotsobe comes from a strong home. The effects of international cricket are different for everyone.”
Barnes found that black players would migrate to him – “there was a sense from them that I understood them better”.
“There was a lot of insecurity among the players, whether about the media, who didn’t think they belonged, or even some of their teammates. I found I had to keep building up players’ confidence, letting them know that they were not there just because of their colour.
“I guess I felt I had to look after players, be an ear for them or a shoulder to cry on; in the end that makes a difference.”
The racial make-up of the South African squad is something that is never far from the centre of debate, although in the last 10 years it has become less of an issue as the likes of Ntini, Ashwell Prince and Hashim Amla have established themselves as top-class internationals.
“It’s a lot better now in the national side, because it’s such a culturally diverse unit. Guys are more respectful of different religions and backgrounds and that is healthy. But it wasn’t always easy,” said Barnes.
He recalls a robust conference in 2007 prior to the inaugural World T20 championships, and in the wake of Jacques Kallis’s controversial axing from the national squad – ostensibly at the hands of former Cricket SA president Norman Arendse – where questions about merit selection arose.
“The players wanted to know where they stood – were they simply in the team because of quotas or because they were picked on merit.
“Ashwell and Makhaya spoke very passionately, but as much as they wanted to close the door on quotas, there is no denying the very important role it played in providing opportunities for black players and readdressing those imbalances of the past,” Barnes said.
The talent pool is certainly a lot deeper than even Barnes had imagined when he worked with the national team, further indicating the importance of the quota system.
After this year’s World Cup, he turned down an offer to coach Bangladesh, choosing instead to work at the High Performance Centre and to coach the SA A side. He was appointed as a national selector in August, a role which has taken him around the country, assessing players and communicating with them.
“I have been pleasantly surprised by the talent out there and the amount of it. Look at a team like the Cape Cobras… the national players come back and they can afford to leave Richard Levi and Herschelle Gibbs out.
“There’s a lot of that at franchise level. I go to practice with some of the amateur sides, and you see so many guys who’ve played franchise cricket, but don’t get into a starting XI. I think we can definitely do with another franchise, maybe even two,” added Barnes.
The major part of his job now is alongside Corrie van Zyl at the High Performance Centre, where Barnes says they have to “strengthen the pipeline” that provides talent to the national team. And that starts with coaching.
“I said this to Cricket South Africa in 1997, that we like putting the cart before the horse when it comes to black players. Where are the black franchise coaches? Not one of the six franchises has a black head coach, there are just two black assistant coaches.
“It goes back to what I said about understanding where players come from. When Shukri Conrad coached the Cobras, there were seven or eight black players in the starting team and no one said anything. Those guys were regarded as the best.
“We talk about black players, but CSA must look at a plan to develop black coaches. If you look at Geoffery Toyana (Highveld Lions assistant coach), just his mere presence there makes a difference.”
The Lions are the only union to feature three black African players in their starting line-up in a senior franchise match this season. “We’ve got to look more diligently at fast-tracking black coaches.”
While development and creating opportunities for black coaches is paramount, there’s also the day-to-day coaching and monitoring of young players, with an eye on the future success of the national team and generally the sport in this country.
There is, said Barnes, a more holistic approach nowadays. The experience he and Van Zyl gained working with the national team is now being used to assist those on the cusp of international cricket.
“The major priority for a player (at the highest level) is handling the pressure, because at that level there is nowhere to hide.”
Through the HPC more emphasis will be placed on the SA A side, very often seen as the final feeder into the national team. For too long the A side lurched aimlessly from season to season, gathering occasionally to provide a touring team with a warm-up match. That will change next year. “When the senior team is in England next year, the A side will be there too. Obviously the England Cricket Board don’t want to give us county teams to play against, But we’ve got matches lined up against Ireland. That kind of tour is important, because in the level below the national players, guys will be idle once the domestic season ends and if there’s an injury you can’t expect players to suddenly turn up and play Test cricket.
“So for someone like a Wayne Parnell, who isn’t part of the Test side now, he would go on that A tour, he’d be kept match fit and if something were to happen to one of the bowlers, he’d be able to step in.”
Barnes occasionally misses the buzz of international cricket – but sees his job now as equally as important, if not more so, than when he worked with the national team. “The lines of communication with Gary (Kirsten) and Allan (Donald) are clear and it’s important to keep it that way.
“I enjoy the hustle and bustle of coaching, it’s far more hands-on and I enjoy seeing a young person with talent and then helping to harness that talent,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure we are strengthening the base, and through that we will strengthen the national team.” - Cape Argus