New Zealand Cricket (NZC) took the ropes with Rob Walter, former whiteball coach of the National Cricket team in South Africa, as the new all-format head coach of the New Zealand National Cricket team.
Walter’s contract begins in mid-June and runs until the end of the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup. That is, I signed a three-year contract.
Also Read: Kapil Dev destroys RCB more than the Bengaluru Stampede: “Life is more important than celebrations”
Your daily cricket dosage!
Rob Walter suddenly quit his job in South Africa
Walter suddenly resigned in April 2025 after serving as head coach of the Proteas team since January 2023.
Rob Walter had more than two years left on the contract when he resigned, and to deal with his absence, the CSA decided to hand over the full-form obligations to Shukri Conrad, who signed a Red Ball coaching contract.
Since leaving Cricket’s South Africa, Rob Walter has been one of the hot favourites to replace Gary Stead as New Zealand’s head coach, leading the South African team to the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, and successfully completed the 2024 T20 World Cup final.
Walter, who lives in Hawks Bay with his family, is unfamiliar with black cap coaching as he coached a New Zealand team in India in 2022.
That’s a great opportunity – Rob Walter
Speaking about taking over the top job at NZC, Walter said he was able to be appointed head coach of New Zealand’s national cricket team and expressed his excitement at working with talented players. In a statement released by the NZC, he said:
“The Black Cap has been a successful and highly regarded team in the world for a while.
“It’s a great opportunity to work with such talented players and support staff throughout so many global events and large bilateral series being contested. I can’t wait to get started. It’s exciting, challenging, and the opportunities are enormous for everyone.”
Rob Walter will be responsible for the Black Cap in the new cycles of the ICC World Test Championship, the 2028 LA Olympics, the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027 and the ICC T20 World Cup 2028.
Rob is a world class coach – Scott Weining
NZC CEO Scott Weenink was very pleased to have Walter on board and call him a world-class coach with an outstanding pedigree. He said:
“Rob is a world-class coach with an outstanding lineage,” Weining said. “His success in New Zealand’s domestic game, combined with his recent achievements on the global stage with South Africa, makes him an ideal candidate to lead the Black Cap.
“We look forward to welcoming Rob to lead the team through an exciting and challenging period, including three major ICC events.”