Two and a half years on, they have been through four captains but have not found a long-term replacement. The search for someone who has security in team position, aptitude, and the willingness to do the job full time is still on, as concerns grow about AB de Villiers' suitability. It is something South Africa have to address seriously as they plan for three ICC events in three years.
It has been 18 months since those decisions were made and questions are being asked about whether they were the correct ones. De Villiers appears increasingly uncomfortable with the role and Amla has shunned his part in it. Instead Faf du Plessis, who at the time of the appointments was only just starting to establish his place in the ODI side but has since become a regular across all three formats, has captained South Africa in a T20 series and will now take charge of the rest of the ODI series against New Zealand because of de Villiers' suspension.
A slow over rate cost de Villiers the chance to immerse himself in the intricacies of captaincy, as was the plan for this series. To that end, he gave up the wicketkeeping gloves so he could get a different perspective on the game.
He confessed that because things had happened so fast, he wasn't able to have sufficient time with his bowlers to discuss field placements and strategies, and said he felt out of control as the match went on.
He still felt he needed to be closer to the bowlers so that he could communicate better with them and he said felt rushed on the field.
That his concerns were almost identical to what they were a year ago could simply mean de Villiers needs more time to get to grips with captaincy. It could also point to his own uncertainty and indecisiveness, two traits that should appear only in very small quantities in a captain's kit but seem to feature more with de Villiers.
To illustrate that, consider that not only has he struggled to get to grips with leadership, he has also continually wavered about his role in the team. Long before he was considered captaincy material, de Villiers made it clear he wanted to become the best batsman in the world and did not want to keep wicket. He has since, in the words of convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson, "changed his mind" to the point where he was willing to sacrifice of "a year of my career" because of his bad back, to do the job.
When de Villiers was asked to take over as a limited-overs captain, it was put to him that the triple task of keeping, leading and batting would be too much. De Villiers did not agree with such suggestions. Neither did those who appointed him, specifically Gary Kirsten, although he has also changed his mind about that now and said he was "always concerned" the burden on de Villiers would be too great.
As a result, they have had to make a plan to rest de Villiers so he can continue keeping in Tests. He passed the gloves on in limited-overs, a dual solution that also allowed him to "focus on captaincy." It appeared a clever solution to all de Villiers' concerns but it did not ease the one about his ability, not willingness, to captain.
De Villiers continually claims to be unsure of the skills needed and the style of captaincy he should adopt. He has yet to find his way despite a reasonable amount of time in the job.
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