Judge me at end of World Test Champs - Shukri

Shukri Conrad acknowledges that some of his selections have looked “haphazard” but says he is clear about his strategy for the Proteas Test team after his first year in charge.

That 12-month period has been abnormal, with South Africa playing just four Tests — all on home soil — while for his third series in charge, Conrad had to pick a team devoid of first and even second-choice players. 

“Because we have had so few Tests, (selection) might seem haphazard but it is far from that; there is a little bit of method in the madness. Judge me at the end of the (World Test Championship) cycle (this initial one for 2025 and then 2027) because at the end of that, we would have had 20-odd Tests. My mandate is to win the World Test Championship in 2027,” said Conrad. 

That doesn’t rule a Rickelton out, far from it, he’s got too much ability, but because I don’t have the luxury of so many Tests, I find it difficult to give guys a decent run

—  Shukri Conrad

South Africa have won three out of the four Tests since Conrad was handed the reins in February last year. Two of those came against a weak West Indies team, while the third win came against India at Centurion in which Dean Elgar, now retired, played a prominent role.

Some of Conrad’s choices have looked weird. Senuran Muthusamy was said to have played in the first Test against West Indies at Centurion because he was a better batter than Keshav Maharaj.

Muthusamy was subsequently dropped for the second Test. Maharaj was recalled as was Ryan Rickelton, who made 22 and 10 in that match, but was dropped for the India series despite Conrad having claimed in March last year that Rickelton was the kind of player “that the Proteas could build around”.

“A lot can change in eight months,” was Conrad’s reply when asked about Rickelton’s absence for India. 

David Bedingham and Tristan Stubbs made Test debuts against India; Bedingham played beautifully for a half century at Centurion, and then struggled on that awful track at Newlands. Conrad had to apologise to Stubbs for giving him his debut on that surface. 

“We are also transitioning guys in like ‘Bedders’ and ‘Stubbo’ is someone I really rate very highly.  You can make cases for so many guys ... so at some stage I just have to go: ‘I trust this, this is the guy that I will run with.’

“That doesn’t rule a Rickelton out. Far from it, he’s got too much ability, but because I don’t have the luxury of so many Tests, I find it difficult to give guys a decent run.”

Conrad said batting is the area  that gives him sleepless nights. “The fast bowling front looks rosier than the batting. It was always going to be an easier ‘fix’ than the batting ... Guys like Nandre (Burger), Gerald (Coetzee), ‘Plank’ (Marco Jansen), have still got a lot of years ahead of them.

“I’d like to think that guys like KG (Kagiso Rabada), Lungi (Ngidi) and Anrich (Nortje), when he is fit again, will still be part of it. It means we have a really nice battery of fast bowlers for the next couple of years.”

Aiden Markram has been the biggest success in the batting unit so far in Conrad’s tenure. The 29-year-old was moved back to the top of the order, and has scored two centuries and a 96 in the four Tests.

The middle order, and even Tony de Zorzi, who made his debut in Conrad’s first Test in charge, is still far from settled, and with Elgar’s retirement there is now a slot open at the top of the order too.

The New Zealand series, and the selection that was forced upon Conrad for it, has knocked some long-term plans off kilter somewhat. “Who knows, if an oke does exceptionally well, then you can’t discard him,” Conrad said of the two Test series, which starts with the first Test in Mt Manganui next Sunday. 

Certainly, if Neil Brand — who will lead the Proteas against the Black Caps — makes big runs, it will answer one critical question, while Bedingham gets a chance to build on the good start he had against India. “It’s also a big series for Keegan (Petersen). He’s played one Test here and one Test there, but he has to start showing a little bit more.”

Asked to grade his first year in charge, Conrad said he’d give it a “pass mark” of 75%. “We’ve won three out of four (Tests), that’s 75%. The numbers don’t lie.”