Conrad and Co ready to test magnitude
Zaahier Adams
Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad has labelled the upcoming two-match series against Sri Lanka “almost like a knockout quarter-final” in the race to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s next year.
The Proteas are currently in fifth place on the WTC table with a percentage of 54.17 compared to Sri Lanka, who sit in third place with 55.56. Conrad’s team have a straight path to the final if they win these two Tests against Sri Lanka in Durban and Gqeberha, followed by two more against Pakistan over the festive season.
After the disappointing performances of the Proteas white-ball teams over the past couple of months, Conrad is excited that the premier format of the game is ready to take centre stage again.
Red-ball head coach Shukri Conrad has today announced a 14-player squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which gets underway in Durban later this month.
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) November 19, 2024
Captain Temba Bavuma will lead the side after being cleared for selection following a fitness test on… pic.twitter.com/MuUhVjqb4q
“It's an exciting time for the Test side,” Conrad said yesterday. “It’s almost like a knockout quarter-final with us and Sri Lanka. That table is going to be quite a topsy-turvy one over the next couple of months.”
“We all understand the magnitude of it. We also understand that we've got to play really good cricket in order for us to achieve the goal.
“I think we're going to run into a very confident Sri Lanka side. But we certainly know that if we play anything close to our ability, that we'll be right there when it matters.”
For a series of such magnitude, Conrad is certainly pleased that regular captain Temba Bavuma passed a stringent fitness test on Monday to return to the helm of the red-ball team.
It’s been a frustrating period for Bavuma, with the skipper playing just four out of the ten Tests under Conrad’s mentorship. He missed the recent series win over Bangladesh and also one of the Tests in the West Indies due to injury.
Although Bavuma has not played a red-ball game all summer, Conrad believes the skipper will fit in seamlessly.
“He's probably going in cold on the back of not having played any matches but we're certainly going to be simulating match situations during our short camp we're going to have in Pretoria," Conrad said.
“His fitness test was always going to be yesterday, and then it would just be too close to a four-day match and too close to the Test match. If we had asked him to or forced him to play last week, I think it could have been detrimental. And I don't think there was anything to gain from that.”
Equally, Conrad stated that the Test side remains “Temba’s team” and that the Proteas' most consistent batter over the past three years is champing at the bit to get down to work again.
"He's excited," Conrad said. "He's like a little kid in a toy shop at the moment because he hasn't played Test cricket in a while."
After the success of the spinners in Bangladesh, Conrad has also gone for a horses-for-courses approach for the home series, as he is set to unleash two fresh and fit pacemen in Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee against the Sri Lankans.
Both fast bowlers have recently returned from a strength and conditioning programme, with Jansen, in particular, really charging in during the recent T20I series against India.
“We’ve picked the strongest possible side to ensure we stay competitive and keep our hopes alive for a place in the WTC final,” he said.
“I’m thrilled to have two of our best quicks in the country back in the fold. Both have worked incredibly hard during their conditioning programmes, and it’s great to see them back in the fold, ready to contribute to the team.”
Proteas Test squad v Sri Lanka: Temba Bavuma (capt), David Bedingham, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne