Rowan Richards is being tipped as the leading contender for the Eastern Cape Iinyathi head coach position, replacing Tumelo Bodibe, who left the KuGompo City team for the Eastern Storm.
Richards served as an assistant to Bodibe and helped Iinyathi reach the Division 2 T20 and four-day finals in the recent season.
The 41-year-old handled the bowling department and is highly rated for the success of the team, which finished in second place on the promotional log.
Richards was also called up for the SA A tour to India at the end of 2025.
“Things are being finalised. Richards will be announced in the coming days as the head mentor,” a source said.
Richards will have to reinforce the bowing attack after the departure of Nico van Zyl (Knights) and fast bowler Chad Classen (Eastern Storm).
Promising young batter Wian Ruthven has also joined the Knights.
Reports indicate that Classen, who was among the key players for the Iinyathi in the recent season, has left the Border men’s senior team and joined Easterns Cricket Union.
Classen is returning to the team he played for before signing with the Iinyathi in 2024.
He will reunite with a familiar face at the Benoni franchise, Bodibe.
The Classen and Van Zyl combo were instrumental in four- and one-dayers for Iinyathi.
In the Division 2 One-Day Cup, where Iinyathi reached the final, Classen was the most economical bowler with an economy rate of 4.05, picking up nine wickets.
In the red ball campaign, he only played four games in which he picked up eight wickets.
He missed the T20 tournament at the start of the season due to injury.
Classen once described his partnership with Van Zyl up front with the new ball to ex-Proteas Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.
Like Steyn, Van Zyl was the aggressive strike bowler with the new ball, while Classen, like Philander, was impeccably accurate.
“We complement each other. If one of us goes for runs, our chat is that the other must hold it together,” he said at the time.
Classens is joining a Storm team that finished fourth on the promotion log and will be key as they attempt to break the ceiling into the top flight, Division 1.
The contracting period for the new season started at the beginning of April and will end on May 20.
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