Cricket South Africa have named Malibongwe Maketa as the interim head coach for their three-match Test series in Australia, beginning December 17. The move comes after Mark Boucher, the current head coach informed Cricket South Africa that he would step down from the role following the conclusion of the ongoing Men’s T20 world Cup in Australia.
Maketa is currently the South Africa A coach and National Academy Lead and had toured England with the senior side in August as a consultant. He has previously served as the team’s assistant head coach during Ottis Gibson’s tenure between 2017 and 2019.
Maketa, who played one-first class game and a List A match back in 2001/02 and 2007 respectively as a right-arm quick, is South Africa’s second black African coach after current director of cricket Enoch Nkwe, who was had served in an interim capacity during the 2019 India tour.
“We are pleased to name Malibongwe as our interim coach to lead the Proteas in Australia,”
“He is a familiar face to the environment and has worked in the same space previously when he served as assistant coach.
“Mali knows most of the players well; they know him too; 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 lead us through what is an important series for the Proteas,”
he said.
The first of three Australia vs South Africa Tests will be played in Brisbane from December 17, followed by the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne and the New Year’s Test in Sydney. The series is crucial in the context of the ongoing World Test Championship 2023 cycle, wherein Australia currently tops the standings, followed by South Africa, Sri Lanka and India at the second, third and fourth position respectively.
