The Proteas Cricket Coach Shukri Conrad said that South Africa’s national cricket team have the belief of making their way through to the final of the World Test Championship 2023-2025 at the Lord’s Cricket Ground. On Saturday, the Proteas won their Test series 1-0 against the West Indies after winning the second test by 40 runs at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Placed fifth in the table, South Africa still have some distance to travel if they are to challenge India and Australia in the top two. Conrad also said that they will be looking to ‘grow as a team’ and gain more experience as they go through the transition period. “We’ve got a big couple of months ahead of us to grow as a Test team. At the end of that, if we do very well and we win enough games, we can end up in the World Test Championship final. But that’s not the only goal of the team. It’s also to grow as a team,” Conrad said after the match. “With young and inexperienced batters, you almost factor in that every now and again you’re going to have a few aberrations with the bat. But the vital signs are there that we can go and become a really good test unit,” he said.
The coach Conrad is hoping to improve the Proteas Cricket Team by building bonds between the team mates. It will be tough for South Africa to challenge India and Australia in the league given the competitiveness of these teams. The sport being played requires a lot of skill and focus to win through. It is not a simple task. A game of Cricket between two national teams is supposed to be very intense. There can be no mistakes from either side. The Proteas have come a long way in that regard. But they still have a high and difficult hill to climb, to meet up and compete with the other teams. The major focus should be on practice such as for the batters and bowlers. To grow as a team requires having to know the strengths and weaknesses of the other team mates involved. This also includes knowing their personalities. It is about knowing advantages and disadvantages.
Apart from Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj, the other players do not have a whole lot of experience. Conrad said that the South African batters will learn the art of holding their ground in challenging conditions as they gain more experience. “The skillsets are there. It’s really just experience we need. With experience, you’ll find fewer soft dismissals and less of the falling over when bowlers bowl well and we’ll be able to put up more of a fight with the bat,” Conrad added. On Day 3 after setting the opposition a target of 263, South Africa bowled West Indies out for 222 in 66.2 overs. Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj picked up three wickets apiece.
Having the experience necessary for the sport such as holding their ground is necessary to contest in the sport. When the team comes together, they have to act with cohesion under intense pressure. Setting yourself goals for and keeping yourself constantly fit also helps. The sports being played require not only professional experience but also natural talent. When they speak about soft dismissals, they are referring to a batter being dismissed for his own mistake rather than being beaten by a bowler. With better training and experience gained this form of mistakes will prove to be a matter for the past as regards the Proteas. But the other matter at hand is to keep themselves relaxed and not be overtaken by anxiety. The more wickets the Proteas can bowl along with the more runs made the more points they can score.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
