As the cricket world comes to terms with the shock news of the impending divorce between South African cricket captain Graeme Smith and national coach Mickey Arthur, iafrica.com can exclusively reveal that a late night bust-up — in which Smith is believed to have crashed his car after Arthur chased after him with a cricket bat — stemmed from Arthur’s discovery that Smith had been sending clandestine text messages to other coaches, with Duncan Fletcher the head of a lengthy queue that is expected to grow in the coming days.

“Mickey discovered a text from Duncan telling Graeme how much he loved his field placings,” an inside source told iafrica. “Graeme responded by telling Duncan he dreamed of his net sessions. Mickey discovered this, and went crazy. There’s no way back from here; it’s definitely over between them now.”

A top American divorce lawyer has already been in contact with Arthur, who may well tell his heartbreaking story in an upcoming issue of Huisgenoot, and rumours surrounding the possible settlement have been fuelled by allegations that Fletcher was not the only coach Smith was texting. Already, John Wright, Geoff Marsh, Andy Flower, Gary Kirsten, Kepler Wessels, Dav Whatmore, Davey Houghton and Tom Moody have admitted to receiving texts from Smith, and more coaches are expected to admit likewise before the week is out.

That will only complicate an already challenging settlement, with custody a major issue. “Mickey is determined to get sole rights to AB, Wayne and JP in particular, but Graeme will apparently fight tooth and nail for custody, with Mickey getting visiting rights at the weekend and no more,” iafrica’s source suggested. “Graeme’s quite happy to give up Paul, but then so is Mickey. Jacques and Bouch are inseparable, and will probably want to live in Cape Town with Graeme. That’s probably his trump card; if Mickey does return to Kimberley, no one will want to go back with him.”

AB De Villiers in particular is believed to be taking the split badly, and has made just one tearful appearance outside his bedroom since news of the divorce, while Dale Steyn has clammed up entirely, saying nothing and refusing to talk to anyone. And an already difficult situation has been made even more challenging by Smith’s immediate links to a new coach, Corrie van Zyl, while suggestion has been made that Smith suffers from a coaching addiction that may require serious help.

“Corrie’s a rebound coach, nothing more, but it’s terribly hard on the other guys, especially the younger ones,” iafrica’s source claimed. “Seeing Graeme with someone new so quickly isn’t easy to deal with, and if there is a nasty custody battle, the guys are going to suffer. And when a long term coach does come into play, whether it’s Kepler, or Duncan Fletcher, or whoever, it’ll be a trying period for the whole team.”

While the official word on the divorce is that the relationship was “irreparably damaged,” there have been recent rumours of extensive coaching infidelity. Tabloid newspapers have suggested Smith sent Wessels a text after the final Test at the Wanderers asking “do you like my field placings?”, and another to Flower telling the England coach to “let me know if you’d like to switch sides”. That could hamper Smith’s case in the divorce, and the captain has apparently already consulted Herschelle Gibbs for advice.

In the interim, however, Smith will leave shortly for India, as will the team, unless Arthur is able to make an emergency custody claim. No official comment has been forthcoming as yet, and while debate rages on everything from Smith going back to former coach Ray Jennings — the James Small-Christina Storm relationship of South African cricket — to Jomo Sono taking over as coach, general consensus is that it’s the little ones who’ll suffer, and that AB, Wayne, Morne, JP and Dale in particular will need plenty of love and support as the divorce unfolds.

Contact Dan at dan@metropolis.co.za

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