Crease bound
It was not a shock. Rumours of his imminent departure had been circulating for months.
Notes From Slip asked him if he planned to see out his term just a couple of weeks ago.
Here is all we know about his decision to leave: He will finish at the end of the Plunket Shield campaign.
That’s it. Ebrahim is not commenting further and the Otago Cricket Association (OCA) has also refused to be interviewed on the matter.
All the OCA have managed to achieve by staying quiet is to create space for speculation.
Some will interpret their silence over Ebrahim’s departure as confirmation they gave him a nudge out the door.
Hitting the mark
The job is his if he wants it, surely.
Volts assistant Ben McCord is another potential candidate, while OCA talent development and pathways manager Ramesh Subasinghe is highly regarded around the region.
Sparks assistant Shawn Hicks might step up and coach the Sparks.
The Volts have not had a home-grown coach since Nathan King in 2015-16. They had five years with Rob Walter and three with Ebrahim.
Cumming, even if he started out in Canterbury, is an Otago man with an impressive playing record for the province behind him.
But more importantly he has built a strong culture at the Sparks since taking over in 2020-21.
The team has also won two one-day titles. The only complicating factor is his son - Jacob - is a contracted player for the Volts and his other son - Zac - is on the fringe of the squad as well.
Cumming told Notes From Slip earlier this week he has not given the role any thought.
That was a perfectly executed forward defence, if you ask us.
The declaration
Samuel Hawke gets the last word with the advert he placed following the Black Caps’ demise in the first test against Australia at the Basin Reserve last week.
We feel your pain Sam.
