Johannesburg, Aug 5 (IANS): Former South Africa cricketer Imraan Khan has been appointed the new batting head at Cricket South Africa.

He will currently work under Test head coach Shukri Conrad for the West Indies tour. The former Dolphins coach is with the Test team in the West Indies as batting coach replacing Ashwell Prince, who was unavailable due to personal reasons for the tour.

Imraan has enjoyed a successful career as a provincial coach in South Africa's top tier, leading the Dolphins to two four-day series titles in 2020/21 and 2022/23, a shared one-day cup in the 2020/21 season, and three CSA T20 Challenge finals. Under his guidance, the Dolphins have produced several national players including Sarel Erwee, Keegan Petersen, Ottneil Baartman and Keshav Maharaj has emerged as a capable leader.

Imraan dedicated his entire professional playing career to the Durban-based union, where he spent 15 years. As a top-order batter, he was renowned for his performances in long-format cricket, earning 161 first-class caps, scoring 9,367 runs including 20 centuries and averaging 36.58. He made his only Test appearance in 2009 against Australia, partnering with Prince at the top of the order. Additionally, he played in 121 List A matches and 51 T20s.

"I want to thank the KZN Cricket Union for all their support. It's been an incredible journey, and I've loved starting my coaching career at the union that has been my home for many seasons. This is an exciting step in my path as a coach, but Kingsmead will always be home, and I will miss everyone here," Imraan said in a statement.

With the T20 tournament scheduled to begin in late September, the Dolphins have yet to name Imraan's replacement.