Did Charl's role make Donald duck?

If Charl Langeveldt is being lined up to replace Allan Donald as SA's bowling coach, he doesn't know it yet.

"I haven't had any discussions in that regard," Langeveldt said yesterday. "I was at the World Cup purely as a consultant and now I'm back with the Cobras."

Would he be keen on the job?

"I would certainly be interested."

Was Donald's decision to duck, which Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced yesterday, known during or immediately after the World Cup?

"The first I heard about it was this morning [yesterday]," Langeveldt said.

Langeveldt served as SA's death- bowling consultant during West Indies' tour last summer and at the World Cup. His appointment as Donald's successor would surprise many - not least the SA team, some of whom viewed his involvement as an opportunity for him to gain experience at the top level rather than as a grooming exercise.

But the fact is Langeveldt was a proven swing bowler at international level who has passed on his knowledge effectively to the Cobras bowlers.

However, according to sources close to the SA dressing room, Langeveldt's arrival made Donald reconsider his future with the team.

CSA's move in September to extend Russell Domingo's tenure as head coach until April next year, but to not lengthen the other coaches' contracts, may also have helped Donald make up his mind.

A CSA statement yesterday quoted Donald as saying: "I have had some time to reflect after the World Cup and have come to the conclusion that the time is right to move on. The last four years have been the best of my life and being involved with the Proteas in the World Cup was a goal I had set my sights on."