Proteas stand-in captain Rassie van der Dussen feels there’s a different mindset about the team’s experimenting under Shukri Conrad compared to former white ball coach Rob Walter.
“We’re not trying things for the sake of trying it, or guys being chosen for the sake of being chosen. It’s trying things with an understanding that it is okay to get it wrong, but you can only get to the other side if you try it authentically,” Van der Dussen said yesterday.
The Proteas face Zimbabwe this afternoon in their third match of the triangular T20 series — which also involves New Zealand — and, while winning the competition is an important goal, it’s only part of a bigger picture. “Maybe it’s boiled over from winning the Test Championship final, and it’s almost like because we won that when it counted, it’s like you can experiment more.”
Van der Dussen is leading the team in the absence of regular captain Aiden Markram, who like a number of other household names such as Kagiso Rabada, are being given an extended break ahead of a busy year for the Proteas in the limited-overs formats.
It has allowed Conrad, who took over from Walter in May, to assess other options, much like Walter actually did in bilateral series during his reign. However, despite achieving a reasonably good record in the ICC events he oversaw, Walter’s poor record in bilateral series led to heavy criticism.
He ultimately resigned in April after the Proteas failed to make it past the semifinals in the ICC Champions Trophy.
In his first series as white ball coach, Conrad has called up a number of young players, including Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kwena Maphaka, Nqaba Peter, Andile Simelane and Dewald Brevis, with Van der Dussen saying the team environment encourages them to play freely. “It’s quite relaxed and open, but we all have our responsibilities,” he said.
As a player and a team, you want someone breathing down your neck. That is positive pressure. That is fair because if you don’t perform, there is a guy there who will take your place. In every department, there are guys who are putting their hands up, saying they want to be part of this team.
“We obviously want to win every match, but we are encouraged to be the best version of ourselves, to play the way we want to play; and the team needs to play and, if we fall short, that’s okay because we fell short on our terms, and we will try to be better next time.”
As much as winning in Harare this afternoon is important, and so too qualifying for next Saturday’s finals, next year’s T20 World Cup is the bigger picture that the players are aware of, and thus putting pressure on the regulars is something that serves as motivation.
“As a player and a team, you want someone breathing down your neck. That is positive pressure. That is fair because if you don’t perform, there is a guy there who will take your place. In every department, there are guys who are putting their hands up, saying they want to be part of this team,” said Van der Dussen.
Alongside that, Van der Dussen said experimenting within-game strategy, including different field-settings, would continue as the Proteas seek a formula that can work in India in six months’ time.
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