Shukri Conrad has taken over as the white-ball head coach of the South Africa men’s team, CSA announced on Friday, May 9. He replaced Rob Walter, who stepped down from his position after the Proteas couldn’t qualify for the final of the Champions Trophy. Shukri Conrad, who has served as South Africa’s red-ball coach, will serve as the white-ball coach until the ODI World Cup in 2027. Shukri Conrad’s first assignment in his new role starts with the Proteas’ T20I series against New Zealand and Zimbabwe in July.
Under Shukri Conrad, South Africa recently qualified for the final of the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. Shukri Conrad said that the Proteas have the foundation to achieve big goals in the future.
South Africa journey to WTC finals in 2024-25
South African newly appointed all format coach Shukri Conrad expects South Africa players to prioritize national duty over T20 Leagues
Shukri Conrad expects South Africa’s players to put international fixtures ahead of league pursuits as he looks to build his white-ball squads for next year’s T20 World Cup and the 2027 home ODI World Cup. Shukri Conrad, whose role was expanded from the Test team to all-format coach on Friday, explained that he had already started the process of long-term planning with centrally-contracted players, with a view to ensuring their availability.
South Africa’s packed cricket calendar
Some of their fixtures could be era defining – such as the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord’s or the two-Test tours of Pakistan and India later in the year – and others, more preparatory.
They will play two Tests and a T20I tri-series in Zimbabwe in July and three T20Is and three ODIs each in Australia and England in August and September. Those series, however, clash with Major League Cricket (MLC), the Hundred and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Players such as Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen (both retained at the MLC) and David Miller (contracted to the Hundred but on a white-ball only central contract) will face a fixture clash. Shukri Conrad indicated that, following discussions, they will put South Africa first. Conrad has already initiated talks with players to put their national commitments ahead of league ambitions.
Shukri Conrad emphasizes importance of rest periods and future discussions with non contracted players
Shukri Conrad has left space for mandatory rest periods, such as the conditioning blocks Jansen, Gerald Coetzee and Lungi Ngidi were put on at various stages of last summer, and for playing in leagues outside of international game time.
“Where rest periods are going to be emphasised or suggested, it will be exactly that – a rest period. It won’t be one where you can then go and play in another league,” he said.
Shukri Conrad has also emphasized the need for rest periods in dealing with player fatigue and performance.
“Where rest periods are going to be emphasized or suggested, it will be exactly that – a rest period,” he clarified, adding that these wouldn’t overlap with league commitments. He also wants players to gain experience from playing in leagues when they aren’t playing for South Africa.
Shukri Conrad intends to hold talks with non-contracted players like Anrich Nortje, Heinrich Klaasen, and Tabraiz Shamsi regarding their national future. He wants to avoid cases where players miss bilateral series but are picked for a World Cup.
“That won’t happen again,” he assured, referring to his past experience of leading a depleted Test squad on an overseas tour due to league commitments.
For now, Test cricket remains Shukri Conrad’s primary focus and he called it the “immediate project.”
South Africa will announce their WTC final squad on May 13. They have a warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe at Arundel from June 3 to 6 before the final, which starts on June 11. Shukri Conrad’s white-ball support staff has not been confirmed but he is considering bringing in T20 specialist coaches in particular.