Why CSA went for Conrad and Walter as coaches

Elaborating on the appointments of Rob Walter and Shukri Conrad as the respective coaches for the national men’s team white- and red-ball sides, Cricket SA’s (CSA) director of cricket Enoch Nkwe saidthe identical playing philosophies they presented during their interviews made the perfect choices.

Walter, who will take over as the limited-overs side coach, and Conrad as the Test coach, were confirmed yesterday during a press conference at the CSA headquarters in Johannesburg. Initially, the duo were set to meet with the media, however, they were not present as they assume their new roles on February 1, starting their four-year deals. 

The Proteas coaching gig was open after Mark Boucher vacated the position after last year's T20 Cricket World Cup to join Indian Premier League (IPL) side Mumbai Indians. Malibongwe Maketa took charge of the Test side in their 2-0 series loss to Australia recently.

There were 20 applicants for the jobs and there were seven candidates that were interviewed, and Walter and Conrad came out tops. Nkwe, who was responsible for the appointments, shared what made them stand out. 

“They did present on both sides, the philosophy was so close and the key areas that we need to improve on from now and build on; they were the top two. From a playing philosophy, character-wise, we believe they are the best fitted for the white ball and red ball," said Nkwe. 

"Some of the players have worked with both coaches, I think all of them coming through the pipeline, whether at national academy level, franchise level or SA 'A' level. It's not like the players don't know their two characters, they know their characters very well. It's new energy and that's something that the players wanted, they wanted new energy, new focus," he said. 

Walter's ODI side will host England for a three-game series from January 27 to February 1, while Conrad will kick-start his reign with a two-match Test series against the West Indies from February 28 to March 12.