Following Rob Walter’s unexpected resignation as Proteas limited-overs coach, former Proteas selector and commentator Hussein Manack believes that Test coach Shukri
Conrad should get the first look as successor.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) was rocked by the shocking resignation of Walter last week on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think you would firstly look at Shukri, who is currently the Test coach. He would be the first person I would look at,” Manack was quoted by SportsBoom.co.za
“Look at what he [Conrad] has achieved and how much is on his plate now. Does he have the time? You’re going to look at the calendar and go like, okay, how much Test cricket are we playing over the next 18 months or two years? And from what I see, there isn’t much.”
“But even then, in the South African context, certainly Shukri would be the first person I would look at and go like, listen, can we slot him in here? Can he do the job? I think he’s done a good job at the Test level.
“He understands the game, understands the landscape, and knows the cricket. So, I would look at him as a first option and then beyond that, of course, I think you could then look at all your domestic coaches and see who would be the one coach that could perhaps slot in there.”
Though Walter cited personal reasons for his resignation, some believe his record alone would have been enough reason for him to walk away or for CSA to show him the door.
Walter coached SA in 36 ODIs, and 25 of them were in bilateral series. The 49-year-old returned only 12 victories in bilaterals – results that are believed to have put him under pressure in his tenure.
His T20I record was poorer, with the Proteas winning only six out of 22 T20Is in bilateral matches.
However, in ICC events, Walter did well, leading the Proteas to their first-ever ICC final in the 2024 T20 World Cup, the semifinals in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy.
