His appointment follows Mark Boucher’s decision to step down at the end of South Africa’s 2022 T20 World Cup campaign.
South Africa have named Malibongwe Maketa as interim head coach for the upcoming Test series against Australia.
Maketa will replace Mark Boucher, who in September announced his intention to step down after leading the team in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
Boucher, whose contract was to run until the 2023 World Cup, “wants to pursue other interests and opportunities”.
Maketa is currently involved with the national team as the coach of South Africa A and leads the national academy. He was previously an assistant head coach between 2017 and 2019 and worked as a consultant during England’s recent Test tour of South Africa.
Mark Boucher withdraws after 2022 T20 World Cup [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
The 42-year-old will take charge of the Proteas for three Tests in December and January, with the series, which is part of the Test World Championship cycle, starting in Brisbane on December 17.
Director of Cricket Enoch Nkwe said: “We are delighted to appoint Malibongwe as interim manager to lead Proteas in Australia. He knows the environment well and has worked in the same space before when he was an assistant manager.
“Mali knows most of the players well; they also know him; and with such a short time between now and the tour, we as Cricket South Africa felt we needed someone who could step in immediately and guide us through what is an important series for the Proteas.
“We would like to wish him well on his nomination. He has our full support, and we have no doubt that he will do South Africans proud in this series.”
Cricket South Africa CEO Pholetsi Moseki added: “Malibongwe has earned respect and praise as a coach and leader. This interim appointment is in recognition of his ability to fit into any system. and to ensure continuity.
“Being no stranger to the Proteas setup, I’m confident he’ll do well and go full throttle.”
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