In a major development for South Africa cricket, the board took centre stage and announced that the side’s current Test coach, Shukri Conrad, will be taking over as the head coach across all formats of the game. The expansion of his contract will be running until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
It is worth noting that Conrad will take over in the role after Rob Walter, who gave in his resignation in April. It is worth noting that Conrad will be working with a selection convener who has not been named yet.
Notably the decision to make Conrad the head coach of all three formats meant that Cricket South Africa did not have to advertise the position or take any interviews to decide the new coach.
"I'm truly honoured to be entrusted with the responsibility of leading the national team across all three formats. Coaching the Test side has been the greatest privilege of my cricket journey, and to now oversee the white-ball teams as well is something unbelievably special. I'm genuinely excited about the prospects that lie ahead. South African cricket has incredible white- ball talent, from the calibre of our senior players to the emerging group of juniors aspiring to represent the Proteas. There's a strong foundation to build on, and I believe we have what it takes to achieve something special,” Conrad said in a CSA statement.
It is interesting to note that Conrad had originally applied for both the red team and white ball team coach when Mark Boucher left his post in 2022. With South Africa playing the World Test Championship final against Australia soon, Conrad will make sure that he replicates his effect on the team in white ball cricket as well.
With his appointment as the white ball coach, Enoch Nkwe, CSA director of national teams and high performance, took centre stage and heaped praise on Conrad.
"Shukri's track record with the red-ball team speaks for itself. He has laid a solid foundation and instilled a strong identity within the Test environment. I'm excited to see him bring the profile and structure to the white-ball space,” Nkwe said.