Rob Walter has been appointed as the head coach of New Zealand Men's team, New Zealand Cricket announced on Friday. The 49-year-old will take over from Gary Stead, who recently resigned from his position after a seven-year stint with the national team. Walter's role will start from mid-June and extend till the end of the 2028 ICC T20 World Cup, set to finish in the month of November. Walter, who had previously served as the head coach of the South African men's team, had guided his home team to the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup, the semi-finals of the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup. He has also served as the head coach of Otago Volts and the Central Stags.
He also coached the men's New Zealand A squad in India in 2022 and has previously been the assistant coach of the Pune Warriors and the Delhi Daredevils, respectively, as well as the Head Coach of South African side the Eastern Titans. In Walter's upcoming tenure, he will oversee New Zealand's campaigns in the ICC World Test Championship, the 2028 LA Olympics, and three major ICC events: the ICC 2026 T20 World Cup, the ICC 2027 Cricket World Cup, and the ICC 2028 T20 World Cup.
Speaking on his appointment, Walter said, "The Black Caps have been a successful and highly-regarded team on the world scene for some time now and it's a real privilege to be given the chance to add to that."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. "I just can't wait to get started. It's exciting, it's challenging, and the opportunity is enormous for everyone."
