After years of suffering late defeats, South Africa are on the brink of history and glory in their first ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final.
And after several spells of high-profile international coaches, it is a relative unknown, Rob Walter, who has led the team to this point.
The Proteas threw Afghanistan out the window in brutal fashion to book a place in the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, where they will face India in Barbados on Saturday.
Walter is the opposite of a celebrity coach: He was never a star athlete, he is demure in interviews and, even if he is prone to outbursts, he doesn’t let them show.
Just one journalist attended South Africa’s pre-semifinal press conference on Wednesday.
🟡🟢 Final Bound | #SAvAFG
The dream continues, South Africa! ✨🇿🇦🚀
📖 The Proteas have reached the ICC T20 World Cup Final for the first time in history. See you in Barbados! 🏟️#Wozanawe #Let’sJoin#OutOfThisWorld #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/yW7n6vgyrI
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) June 27, 2024
Get the monkey off your back
South Africa’s 12 previous white-ball coaches have included such big names as Mike Proctor, Bob Woolmer, Mickey Arthur and Mark Boucher but it is the 48-year-old Walter who has managed to shake off the “choker” label that has dogged teams that have reached the semi-finals but no further.
Walter said he believes the team has already overcome its biggest psychological hurdle.
“It was my first time getting past the semi-finals so that in itself brought pressure,” he told AFP.
“Now that they’ve done that, I just want the guys to go out there, play freely and express themselves.”
South Africa’s results in the final stages of the men’s ICC World Cup so far have been dismal.
The Proteas have played in six 50-over World Cup finals and lost all of them in cruel and ludicrous circumstances. In the T20 edition, they were eliminated in the last four twice, in 2009 and 2014.
South Africa will be relieved that the burden of the semi-final has been lifted, but former players and fans will be hoping their team can claim the top honours on Saturday.
Former fast bowler Dale Steyn, who is part of the tournament’s expert panel, was seen on the sidelines after South Africa’s win over Afghanistan.
The speedster was part of South Africa’s losing side in their last two semi-finals – against New Zealand in the 2015 50-over World Cup and India in the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Steyn became visibly emotional as he embraced the South African players, later admitting in a social media post:
This is an emotional place.
Entering the finals— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) June 27, 2024
If they win, it will be a major victory for Walter, whose playing career peaked at schoolboy provincial level and who was only involved in coaching at age-group level before taking over as South Africa’s strength and conditioning coach in 2009, a role he held until 2013.
On the recommendation of former national team manager Gary Kirsten, Walter was appointed head coach of South Africa’s most successful franchise, the Titans.
The team won three titles in three seasons and he went on to head coaching positions in the Otago and Central districts of New Zealand.
He was appointed South Africa’s white-ball coach in January 2023 and has brought calm to the dressing room but acknowledges that looks don’t tell the whole story.
“I’m not saying there aren’t emotions deep down, but you need to be calm on the field side,” he said.
“Our job as coaches is to prepare the players in advance and make sure everything is in place before the first ball is thrown.
“When that happens, I will try to communicate with the captain, but it is basically up to the player.
“I try not to get too emotionally attached to the outcome and focus on how to prepare.”
“Very calm, very collected.”
But the results all went South Africa’s way, winning eight games in a row, some of them close.
Their only truly outright victory came against Afghanistan in the semi-final in Trinidad on Wednesday, when the Proteas bowled out their opponents for just 56 runs to win by nine wickets.
Walter is also very complimentary about captain Aiden Markram, describing him as “very calm, collected, tactically astute and able to make key decisions under intense pressure.”
Walter said his team will have no preconceived ideas about what to expect in Barbados, given the unusual and unpredictable pitches they have played on in the past.
But Walter is confident that if the conditions in Barbados are more favourable for the batsmen, as previous results suggest, they will rise to the occasion.
“Each batsman contributed at different times. There were a couple of decent wickets for the batsmen but in eight matches that’s not that many,” he said.
“The bowling staff have been incredibly good but the batsmen will be hoping for better conditions.”
There is no doubt that if South Africa wins on Saturday, Walter’s under-the-radar status will not last long.
Ricky Ponting had some wise words ahead of a crucial match for the Proteas. #T20WorldCup 2024 Finals 🙌#SAvIND | For more information, click here➡️ https://t.co/QNBX3PKpKJ pic.twitter.com/EHQ9teXoHM
— T20 World Cup (@T20WorldCup) June 28, 2024