With Rob Walter having resigned as Proteas limited-overs coach, many have called for Test coach Shukri Conrad to be given the limited-overs job as well, purely because of the impressive job he has done with the five-day squad over the past two years.
Conrad inherited a Test side that was in disarray, having been dropped unexpectedly by the then-head coach Mark Boucher, and having lost series in England and Australia.
Two years later, the Test side are patiently waiting to play the final of the ICC World Test Championship, having had an almost flawless cycle under Conrad, who was crowned the 2024 Wisden Coach of the Year.
With most of the country seemingly calling for him to take over, Conrad emphasised his willingness to take on the limited-overs team and build towards the 2027 ODI World Cup here in South Africa.
While sports coaches tend to come and go, it still came as a massive shock when Cricket South Africa dropped its press release on Tuesday with the news that Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter had resigned.#sport #cricket #robwalters #proteas
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“Look, you’re obviously flattered when people suggest that it should be you. But I think the important bit is when you apply for the job, you obviously apply for both roles. I’ve been given the Test job, and I’m loving every minute of it,” Conrad told Independent Media in an exclusive interview on Thursday.
“I mean, if I was offered the job, of course, I’d take it. If you’re asking me, would I like to do it?
“Yes, I would like to do it, you know.
“But I’m really comfortable with whatever direction Cricket South Africa (CSA) and Enoch (Nkwe, the CSA director of national teams and high performance) want to go.
“I’m comfortable with whatever... But if you say to me, would you do it? Yes.
“And would you like to? Yes, I would.”
With Walter’s resignation effective from April 30, Conrad revealed that there hasn’t been any communication between himself and CSA as yet about the limited-overs position.
Conrad believes, however, that the Nkwe will get in touch with him regarding their plans for the team.
“Look, I think they’re obviously still chatting through whatever needs to be chatted through,” said Conrad.
“And I think once Enoch and the leadership decision-makers are clear on what direction they’ll go in, they’ll either give me the call to say, ‘Would you be interested?’
“Or maybe just a courtesy call to say, ‘We’re going to keep it the way we are’.
“But yeah, I’ll wait for whenever they’re ready to do whatever. And I’m comfortable.”
Conrad's experience as a mentor in domestic cricket and having coached the South Africa Under-19 side a few years ago give him the edge over many candidates both locally and internationally.
His knowledge of the local players means that he does not necessarily need to get to know the players in the Proteas limited-overs side, so his appointment would be seamless.
Moreover, Conrad has a thriving working relationship with Temba Bavuma in the Test arena, and that relationship would continue in the ODI team, where Bavuma is also the skipper.
With the T20 World Cup scheduled for early next year in India and Sri Lanka, Cricket South Africa will most likely make a relatively quick decision in order to give the new coach ample time to drill his methods into the team.
The 2027 ODI World Cup is also around the corner, and is utmost importance, given that South Africa will be hosting it.
Whoever takes over from Walter will need all the time he can get to prepare the team for a home World Cup.