Former Proteas head coach Russell Domingo has signed a two-year contract to coach English county Hampshire where he will be assisted by another former Gauteng player and coach, Shane Burger.
Domingo, currently the head coach at the DP World Lions, will continue in that role and will conduct most of his Hampshire duties in the South African off-season.
South Africa’s domestic cricket season is extremely limited anyway, with teams in Division 1 playing no more than 30 matches a season, giving Domingo, who also coached in the Pakistan Super League earlier this year, enough time to fulfil both roles.
The County circuit, despite recent cuts and on-going talks about cost saving measures, sees teams play at least 34 matches across the three formats.
“This is a club with incredible history, outstanding facilities at Utilita Bowl, and a clear vision for success both on and off the field.
“I’ve been genuinely impressed by the ambition here and the strong cultural values that underpin everything Hampshire does,” Domingo said in a statement released by the club.
Besides his five-year stint as Proteas coach, which included a Test series victory in Australia in 2016, Domingo also oversaw the Bangladesh team for two years, and has been highly successful as the Lions coach since 2023.
Post-match inside the changeroom.
— DP World Lions (@DPWorldLions) November 20, 2025
After a tense and entertaining T20 Challenge encounter yesterday, coach Russell Domingo had some thoughts to share with the team🦁💭
Here is how it went down...#DPWorldLionsCricket#LegacyOfChampions#DPWorldLions25#ThePrideOfJozi… pic.twitter.com/DJPZYfFDdt
Under his stewardship the union won the Four-Day series outright in 2023/24 and shared the crown with the Titans after a draw in last year’s final, along with two T20 Challenge competitions.
Burger, who was Scotland’s head coach for four years from 2019, will join Domingo’s staff as an assistant. Until recently he was batting coach at Somerset.
Jimmy Adams, who played for the county for more than a decade, will be batting coach alongside Domingo.
Domingo replaces Adi Birrell, who had previously worked as his assistant at the Proteas. Birrell and Domingo, both from the Eastern Cape, have a long relationship that has seen the pair often sharing coaching ideas.
They were together at the Sunrisers Eastern Cape, where Birrell as head coach oversaw that franchise’s success in the SA20, in which the team won the first two tournaments and reached the final in the third edition, losing to MI Cape Town in last season’s final.
Hampshire begins the 2026 County season on April 3. The last match of the South African domestic season, the CSA One-Day Challenge final, will be played on March 29.
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