New Zealand Cricket (NZC) on Friday has appointed Rob Walter as the new Head Coach of the men’s cricket team in all three formats as a replacement for Gary Stead.Stead was New Zealand head coach in all three formats from 2018 until earlier this week, when NZC announced it was seeking a replacement. He won the World Test Championship in 2021, and made three white ball finals during his seven year tenure.The 49-year-old South African takes up the Black Caps job from the middle of June, and will lead the side on their upcoming tour of Zimbabwe.Walter has 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.Who’s that IPL player?New Zealand is not an unknown territory for Walter. He had before coached New Zealand’s Otago province for five years and at the Central Districts association.“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.”Walter’s contract means he will lead the Black Caps to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, as well as three major ICC tournaments, including the 2027 World Cup.
