South Africa appoints Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter as head coaches for national team
Cricket South Africa have hired Shukri Conrad as their head coach for the Test team while Rob Walter will coach the white-ball team in the upcoming fixtures. The duo pipped current interim coach Malibongwe Maketa, Richar Pybus, and Adil Birrel to take over the role of head coach on Monday.
Cricket South Africa has acquired a fresh pair of faces for the coaching role of both the white-ball and red-ball teams. Shukri Conrad will be the head coach of the Test team while Rob Walter will be handling the responsibility in limited over games. Current interim coach Malibongwe Maketa, former West Indies director of cricket Richard Pybus and Adil Birrel who applied only for the red-ball team were the other contenders in the race for the post.
South Africa’s director of cricket, Enoch Nkwe confirmed the development saying they are clear in their thinking about the way to move South African cricket forward.
“Their leadership is very strong and they are clear in their minds about how to move South African cricket forward,” Nkwe told reporters. “Not just the national teams, but also our (domestic) system.”
Both Conrad and Walter have experience of working in South African cricket. Conrad has worked as the coach of the Lions and Cobras, winning four titles during their tenure. Conrad worked as a strength and conditioning coach between 2009 and 2013.
Walter, on the other hand, has coached the Titans and New Zealand’s Otago Volts. Apart from these two sides, he has worked with Chennai Super Kings, Pune Warriors, and Delhi Daredevils in the IPL.
Both the coaches will start working in their roles from February 1 but Conrad will have a light workload as the team only has three more Tests in 2023. A two-match home series against West Indies will start on February 28 and that will be the first assignment for the new head coach.