Snape lands South African role

Jeremy Snape, the former Leicestershire and England allrounder, has landed the role of performance coach of South Africa a week after he retired from first-class cricket.

Snape, a qualified sports psychologist, assisted England in that capacity during their World Cup campaign last year and performed a similar role with the Rajasthan Royals, winners of the inaugural Indian Premier League.

South Africa coach Micky Arthur outlined what Snape will do. "We now see him playing a major part for us as performance coach," he said. "He will be with us for the forthcoming series with England on an ad hoc basis before coming to us in a full-time capacity for the tour after that of Australia."

Graeme Smith, the South African captain and member of the Rajasthan Royals, applauded the decision. "He will be a big asset to us this summer and in the future," he said. "Shane Warne got a lot of accolades for the Royals winning but Jeremy's contribution was also a key part."

Snape, 35, played 10 ODIs and a Twenty20 for England.