February 13, 2025

Proteas not close to their potential yet says Shukri

Cape Town – Proteas test cricket head coach, Shukri Conrad, says his side hasn’t played anywhere close to their potential yet.

South Africa qualified for the International Cricket Council’s 2023-25 World Test Championship final after beating Pakistan in this week’s series opener at SuperSport Park in Centurion.

The Proteas currently occupy first position on the 2023-25 WTC points table after seven wins, three losses and one draw. This includes series wins over the West Indies and Bangladesh, a series draw with India and a series defeat to New Zealand.

Conrad, who was appointed in January 2023, has overseen all South Africa’s results during the latest WTC cycle.

The 57-year old  believes his team is  capable of playing a lot better than their performance in the dramatic two wicket win over Pakistan in Centurion.

“In this Test match, we played some really poor cricket, some soft cricket,” said Conrad when speaking to the media.

“We were bold, we were brave, and some might say daft in bowling first because you generally come here and bat first. We looked at the weather conditions and felt we could impact the match in a big way by bowling well upfront and putting them under pressure.

“Then we got ourselves in a really good position with the bat and threw that away, then went on to get a partnership with Corbin [Bosch] and the tail-enders. But just the manner of those dismissals was really soft cricket where you allowed the opposition back in.

“Then we start with a 90-run lead and probably the worst bowling performance in the first 40 minutes that I have seen in this side.”

Several players raised their hands in the match. Aiden Markram won the player of the match award after contributing 126 runs.

Test debutant Corbin Bosch with his four wickets and 81 runs not out in the first innings, Dane Paterson’s fiver, Jansen’s six wickets all helped to dismiss Pakistan and Rabada’s 31* under huge pressure that helped clinch the win.

However, some players struggled. Opener Tony de Zorzi and batters Ryan Rickleton, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, and Kyle Verreynne didn’t contribute with the bat in the testing conditions.

Conrad conceded that some players bowed to the pressure placed on the team to reach the WTC final.

“We saw what pressure did to some of our players in this Test match, and hopefully they would have grown immensely from this experience,” Conrad said.

“Pressure does massive things to you. I wouldn’t say we are a young side; we are a bit of an inexperienced side.

““Yes, the World Test Championship final weighs on you, you want to get there, and you don’t mind how you get there.

“But for the growth and where we want to take this Test side, we need to be a lot more clinical, we need to be a lot more consistent and be more resilient, especially with the bat.

“When the opposition is bowling well, and the conditions are tough, we need to be able to be tough as well,” he said.

The pressure moment in the first Test came when the Proteas looked down and out, heading to lunch needing 32 runs to win, while Pakistan had to get two wickets to walk away with a famous victory.

Conrad wants the fightback the Proteas showed to win the match through Rabada and Jansen to be part of the team’s DNA going forward.

The Proteas and Pakistan will return to action on Friday when they meet for the second Test at Newlands in Cape Town.

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