Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday confirmed Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter as new Proteas head coaches.

For the first time in their history, the Proteas will have separate head coaches in the red and white ball formats. Conrad will be head coach of the Test team, while Walter will be the mentor of the ODI and T20 outfits.

The duo – along with Adrian Birrell, Malibongwe Maketa (who was the caretaker coach for the recent tour to Australia), Richard Pybus and Lance Klusener – were in the running for the positions. Klusener, however, withdrew his name from the hat last week.

Shukri Conrad (red-ball) and Rob Walter (white-ball) have been revealed as the new #Proteas head coaches

We wish them all the best in their new roles #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/E2PVE6ER4s

— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 16, 2023

Maketa had stepped in on a temporary basis after Mark Boucher quit after last year’s T20 World Cup to become head coach of IPL outfit Mumbai Indians.

Walter was the Proteas’ fitness and conditioning coach for six years before coaching the Titans between 2013 and 2016. Since then, he coached in New Zealand’s domestic system before leading a New Zealand A team to India. He won four domestic trophies during his time at the helm of the Titans.

Conrad has coached domestically with the Cape Cobras, the Lions, and, most recently, the South African Under-19 side.

More about Shukri Conrad

Shukri Conrad (born 2 April 1967 in Lansdowne) is a former South African cricketer who was also head coach at the Cricket South Africa’s National Academy. Conrad’s playing career included first-class appearances for Western Province teams both before and after the end of racial segregation in cricket, which occurred before the 1991–92 season. He first coached at first-class level during the 2002–03 season, when he was in charge of Gauteng. Following the introduction of franchise cricket during the 2004–05 season, Conrad was the inaugural coach of the Highveld Lions. He switched to the Cape Cobras the following season, and the team went on to win several titles during his five seasons in charge. After being dismissed from the Cobras in 2010, Conrad was briefly coach of the Ugandan national team. 

• Rob Walter has been head coach of the Titans in South African domestic cricket. He has also coached Otago and Central Districts in New Zealand before his appointment to the Proteas. Read more about him HERE.

News24