Hilton Moreeng to continue as South Africa women's head coach until end of 2023-24 season

Hilton Moreeng will stay on as head coach of the South Africa women's team until the end of the 2023-24 season as the recruitment process to replace him remains ongoing. That means Moreeng will take charge of South Africa's tour to Australia later this month, which includes a one-off Test, and a home series against Sri Lanka that starts in late March.

Moreeng's tenure is now in its 12th year and was set to end after last year's T20 World Cup, where South Africa reached the final for the first time in their history - men's or women's. In August last year, ESPNcricinfo reported that senior members of the South African women's team wrote a letter to Cricket South Africa (CSA) leadership to lobby for a change in coach as they sought fresh ideas. At the time, CSA did not have enough time to appoint someone else before the team's tour to Pakistan, and Moreeng's contract was extended until the end of the year. CSA also resolved to appoint a head of women's cricket, a position which has also not been filled.

By November, CSA confirmed that interviews for Moreeng's position had taken place and hoped to unveil a new coaching staff ahead of the Australia tour. However, on Friday afternoon, CSA director of cricket Enoch Nkwe confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that, "unfortunately no one was successful."

Under Moreeng this season, South Africa sit on top of the women's championship - the qualification pathway to the 2025 World Cup - and Pakistan, away and New Zealand and Bangladesh at home. They also drew home T20I series against New Zealand and Bangladesh but lost 3-nil in Pakistan.

South Africa have named a 25-player squad that will attend a week-long training camp in Pretoria from tomorrow to prepare for their Australia trip. Their focus in the course of the camp is on red-ball cricket as they look to their first Test in 18 months and first ever against Australia. "The upcoming camp allows us to address certain areas within the squad and to create depth as we prepare for Australia," Clinton de Preez, women's selection convener said in a statement. "Although this tour is set to feature three formats, our focus over the next few days is the preparation to compete in the four-day Test Match and we are excited to take on Australia on home soil."

The tour starts on January 27 with three T20Is, before three ODIs and the Test match.