Candidates to replace Rob Walter as Proteas white-ball head coach

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) will have the task of finding a head coach to take over the Proteas' white-ball teams following the shock resignation of Rob Walter.

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    Walter resigned two years into his four-year contract, citing "personal reasons" for his decision, having led the Proteas in 36 ODIs and 31 T20Is.

    He made history by leading the senior men's national team to their first-ever T20 World Cup final in 2024 while also reaching the semifinals of the 50-over World Cup in India in 2023.

    "Coaching the Proteas has been an incredible honour, and I am immensely proud of what we have achieved together," said Walter.

    "The players, support staff, and the South African cricketing community have been fantastic throughout this journey.

    "While it's time for me to step away, I have no doubt that the team will continue to grow and reach even greater heights."

    Shukri Conrad is the current Proteas Test mentor and seems the favourite to take up the dual role of national white-ball head coach with the next assignment a T20I triangular series in Zimbabwe in July that will also feature New Zealand.

    Conrad has already led the Proteas to the World Test Championship final against Australia, which will be played in June, while he stepped in on an interim basis and oversaw a series victory against then World Cup champions England in the 50-over format in January 2023.

    If CSA decide to keep the two roles split, there are other contenders to step in if required:

    Robin Peterson

    Peterson coached MI Cape Town to their maiden SA20 title this year, adding to his success of leading MI New York to the Major League Cricket (MLC) trophy in the USA in 2023 in a squad that had seasoned internationals such as Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and Trent Boult.

    The former left-arm spinner also has extensive playing experience having represented the Proteas in 115 international matches across all three formats.

    Adrian Birrell  

    Birrell is the current coach of Hampshire in English county cricket and doubles up as the mentor for the Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20.

    He led the Eastern Cape franchise to back-to-back SA20 trophies in 2023 and 2024 while also winning the Mzansi Super League as head coach of the Paarl Royals in 2019.

    Imraan Khan

    Khan is the current High Performance batting lead for Cricket South Africa after carving out a successful career as head coach in domestic cricket with the Dolphins.

    The former left-handed batter secured two four-day series titles (2020/21, 2022/23) and a shared One-Day Cup (2020/21) with the KZN-based outfit before taking on his new role in September 2024.