Shukri Conrad, Rob Walter to be named SA's head coaches
As per the latest developments, Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter are set to take over as head coaches of South Africa's men's team. The duo would replace Mark Boucher, who vacated the post last year. He had charge of all three formats. As per Cricbuzz, Cricket South Africa (CSA) will announce Conrad and Walter's appointment on Monday (January 16). Here are further details.
Why does this story matter?
Boucher, who was at the helm since December 2019, stepped down as SA's head coach after last year's ICC T20 World Cup in November. Malibongwe Maketa was subsequently named the interim head coach of the side across formats. With the ICC World Test Championship final and ODI World Cup taking place in 2023, the Proteas side has several important assignments lined up.
What do the developments say?
As per Cricbuzz, Conrad is expected to take over the Test team while Walter will handle the affairs in white-ball cricket. However, a confirmation on the same is yet to come. Notably, the duo has piped the likes of Maketa, former West Indies director of cricket Richard Pybus and former national assistant coach Adi Birrel to get the job.
Lance Klusener withdrew his application
It must be noted that former Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener had also applied for the role and was the front-runner to take over as the white-ball coach. However, he later withdrew his application to focus on T20 leagues.
SA switch to split coaching after a decade
With the international calendar being jam-packed nowadays, SA, like England, have also switched to split coaching. The Proteas tried something similar a decade ago when Russell Domingo, who was then Gary Kirsten's assistant, was put in charge of the T20I team. Kirsten remained the ODI and Test coach. A few months later, Domingo succeeded Kirsten as South Africa's all-format coach.
Conrad, Walter's maiden international assignment as head coaches
Notably, neither Conrad nor Walter has been at the helm of a full-member international team before. However, the duo boasts a plethora of experience in SA's domestic circuit. Conrad won four franchise titles with the Lions and Cobras. He even coached the Proteas side at the Under-19 World Cup last year. Walter, meanwhile, mentored Titans to three trophies as head coach.
