Rob Walter hired as New Zealand’s cricket head coach after leaving South Africa job

Former South Africa coach Rob Walter has been appointed as the head coach of New Zealand men’s cricket team in all three formats as replacement for Gary Stead
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Rob Walter has been hired to coach the New Zealand men’s cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead.

Walter coached South Africa’s teams in the one-day and Twenty20 formats from January 2023 until April this year. Before then he coached New Zealand’s Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association.

He guided South Africa to the semifinals of the 2023 World Cup and the Champions Trophy earlier this year in the ODI format and to the final of the T20 World Cup last year.

Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when New Zealand Cricket announced it was seeking a replacement.

Stead announced in March he was stepping down from his roles in the limited-overs formats but intended to remain as test coach. New Zealand Cricket said it preferred a coach to lead the Black Caps in all three formats.

“It’s an amazing opportunity to work with such a talented group of players and support staff through a period of time in which so many global events, as well as massive bilateral series will be contested,” Walter said. “I just can’t wait to get started. It’s exciting, it’s challenging and the opportunity is enormous.”

The 49-year-old Walter was high on New Zealand Cricket’s list of preferred candidates from the moment it decided to pursue another all-formats coach, ruling out Stead who guided the Black Caps to the inaugural World Test Championship.

“Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree,” NZC chief executive Scott Weenink said. “His success in New Zealand’s domestic game combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa makes him the ideal candidate to lead the Black Caps.” He’ll take over in time for New Zealand’s tour to Zimbabwe, which starts with a T20 tri-series against the hosts and South Africa before a two-Test series against Zimbabwe.