Cape Town – Kyle Verreynne ascribed a lot of his personal and team’s success to the confidence instilled in them by Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad.
When Verreynne made his Test debut against the West Indies in St Lucia in 2021, former Proteas wicketkeeper Mark Boucher was the coach.
Conrad left Verreynne out of the West Indies series in 2023 when he took the reins of the Proteas.
He put Verreynne on a “sabbatical,” amid sweeping selection changes that also included dropping Lungi Ngidi and picking Temba Bavuma as captain over Dean Elgar.
Verreynne revealed that Conrad was probably the first coach that explained his thinking to him thoroughly.
After the 27-year-old wicketkeeper batsman scored his fourth Test ton on day two of the second test against Pakistan at Newlands on Saturday, he was full of praise for Conrad.
“Yes, the really nice thing about Shuks (Conrad) as a coach is that he is really open and honest. You always know where you stand with him,” Verreynne told theathlete.co.za.
The fiery Wynberg Boy High School old boy contributed 100 runs to South Africa’s massive first innings total of 615/10.
Pakistan replied with 64-3 after 21 overs.
“When I got left out of the side it wasn’t that classic WhatsApp message or two minute phone call. He actually spoke to me for quite a bit of time over the phone.
“When I came back into the side he took me out for coffee and just sort of explained what he expected of me.
“I think that just shows what type of coach he is. He is very transparent and says exactly what is on his mind.
“As players we appreciate that. He is also someone that when you go out there you feel that you really backed in your game.
“You feel that your style of play is the style he wants to see out there. You never have to change or do anything different to impress him.
“As a coach he is very accepting of who you are and lets you just go out and do what you do. So, it’s really cool to be around him,” added Verreynne.
