South Africa name Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter as Test and limited-overs head coaches

South Africa Test team huddleGetty Images

South Africa were heavily beaten by Australia during their most recent Test series

Shukri Conrad and Rob Walter have been named as head coaches of South Africa's Test and limited-overs sides.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has split the roles after Mark Boucher stood down following last year's T20 World Cup.

Conrad, 55, is a former first-class cricketer and previously coached South Africa Under-19s.

Both coaches start in February, meaning Walter will not be in charge for the three one-day internationals against England, with the first on 27 January.

As Test coach, Conrad inherits a struggling side that was beaten away from home by England and Australia, and has limited opportunities in the format in 2023.

Malibongwe Maketa stood in as interim coach for the three-Test series against Australia in December and January, which South Africa lost 2-0.

The Proteas have a two-Test series against West Indies in February but then do not play another Test until they host India in December.

CSA reduced the number of fixtures in order to accommodate its new T20 league, SA20, which started earlier this month, but says its appointment of a specialist Test coach shows its commitment to the format.

"We haven't relegated Test cricket to the margins," said CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki. "We want to invest to get Test cricket back to the standard we expect."

Walter, a former South Africa strength and conditioning coach, also takes over an under-performing white-ball side, who are yet to qualify for this year's 50-over World Cup in India and were knocked out of the T20 World Cup by the Netherlands.

Related topics