Cricket South Africa prioritising search for Proteas white-ball coach

Walter stepped down as head coach of the One-Day International and Twenty20 sides last month, following the team's failure to reach the ICC Champions Trophy final, on the back of a challenging run of form in bilateral white-ball series.

Nkwe has stressed the importance of filling the vacancy in the build-up to the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa.

"Ja, it is something we are pushing very fast behind the scenes. We want to secure that position as soon as possible, so we are hoping by the end of the month we will be in a stronger position to be able to come up with the plan over the next 30 months to the Cricket World Cup, in terms of that particular position," said Nkwe.

"From our side, it is a critical position. There's quite a few things that are hanging at the moment, but we need to make sure that while we're focusing on the road to the Cricket World Cup, we need to secure this one as soon as possible."

Some would argue the logical choice would be for red-ball coach Shukri Conrad, who has led the team to their maiden World Test Championship final at Lords in June, but Nkwe outlines the considerations that need to be made.

"We are looking at the current structure, the impact of it, and the challenging areas. Hence, probably in the next two weeks, we will be in a stronger position to say this is the way forward and this is going to be the coach," Nkwe added.

"Whether we stick with the two structures or we come back to a single structure, that is something that we need to decide on. We want to make sure that by the end of April, going into the first week of May, that we are in a position to commit."

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CSA introduced a split structure to the national men's coaching setup when they introduced Walter and Conrad as successors to Mark Boucher in 2023, and the former Lions head coach says they are not opposed to continuing with it.

"There are more countries that are exploring it, there are talks in New Zealand of going the split route because of the demands of international cricket. Two years ago, we looked at the landscape and thought, 'How do we give ourselves the best opportunity?' "

"As much as we talk about the workload management of players, we also have to look at the coach. Ultimately, if the coach is not given that level of energy, focus, and direction, it does impact the environment," he concluded.

Meanwhile, the national cricket motherbody announced a new three-year partnership with Suzuki South Africa at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit earlier today, with the Japanese automaker set to sponsor the Proteas Men and Women's ODI sides.

The partnership will also extend to CSA's development ranks, which Nkwe said would greatly assist in their transportation needs for the up and coming male and female stars.