Former batsman Hashim Amla has ruled out joining the Proteas coaching staff for the foreseeable future.

Several fans and pundits have suggested former players such as Amla, Graeme Smith, Ashwell Prince or Mark Boucher to be added to the coaching staff, as the Proteas seek recovery in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign and Test series against India.

Former head coach Ottis Gibson, assistant coach Malibongwe Maketa, spin bowling coach Claude Henderson and batting coach Dale Benkenstein were removed after the World Cup. Interim team director Enoch Nkwe led the team in India.

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‘I am still playing, so having just retired – literally only three months ago – I still like playing domestic cricket,’ Amla told the Hindustan Times.

‘So, I am not quite sure how well I would that fit in at the moment. But in time to come, if I do go down the route of coaching and telling the others, which I really, really enjoy, why not? But at the moment I am still quite busy playing domestic cricket.’

The veteran right-hander quashed the suggestion that South Africa’s domestic first-class cricket is poor – and a key reason behind the Proteas’ inability to successfully replace Test retirees Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, JP Duminy, AB de Villiers and others.

Six franchises – the Lions, Titans, Cape Cobras, Warriors, Knights and Dolphins – contest the country’s premier first-class competition, the 4-Day Franchise Series.

‘We have to be very aware that after one bad tour like the one we have had in India, everybody starts scrambling and looking for reasons for the team’s failure,’ he added.

‘All these things only come up because we lost a series in India. I mean two or three series ago, when we beat Australia and India, in South Africa, no one was talking about it.

‘But now that we have lost one series this chat takes place, which for me is a little bit surprising.’

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