Conrad disappointed on South Africa’s last-over flameout but believes they have the makings of a great team.
Conrad: ‘Bitterly disappointed but we have got the makings of a great side’.
Shukri Conrad, South Africa’s all-format coach, is “thrilled” with the performance of his new-look side and will not make “any excuses” for losing to New Zealand in the tri-series final in Harare by “a game of millimetres.”
Despite losing all three of their competition matches against New Zealand, South Africa nearly won the trophy and had their most successful chase against them. As Conrad prepares for the upcoming World Cup in February and March of next year, the fact that they accomplished it with a group that only consists of two players from their previous T20 World Cup squad—Reeza Hendricks and Gerald Coetzee—indicates to him that South African cricket has a solid depth.
“There’s so many good things that we can take forward from here,” Conrad said at the post-match press conference. “The result is disappointing but there were so many good things that happened there today that we can be really proud of and that I am really proud of. With such a young and inexperienced side, to put up the type of performance today, that is also pleasing to see. It’s no excuse for losing and we’re still bitterly disappointed. But there were some really good things.”
The most important of them was the performance of the two young batsmen, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, who Conrad has also selected for the white-ball teams for a tour to Australia next month. Pretorius was dropped to No. 5 for South Africa’s last league match, when he made one run after scoring 31 runs in his first three innings as a T20I starter. With a 51 off 35 balls, he sent South Africa on their path and was promoted back to the top of the order for the final.
Brevis had previously participated in international cricket, scoring five runs in two Twenty20 Internationals in 2023. With impressive SA20 performances and calls to the Test and T20I squads, he has had a breakthrough in the past six months.
“Lhuan-dre is one of the bright prospects for South Africa. We saw what he has in him with the innings he played today,” Conrad said. “He had a lean period throughout this tournament, but he’s a classy young cricketer and exciting times lie ahead for him. Young players go through tough times and very often don’t know how to deal with it. But for him to come back in the final and play the way he did gave us a really good foundation.”
“Dewald is a special talent,” Conrad said. “He’s hugely disappointed that he didn’t take us home but on another day, he would have hit that out of Harare. He’s a special talent. He’s probably one of the sweetest strikers of a cricket ball in world cricket at the moment. You’re never out of a game when you’ve still got Dewald Brevis in the shed or he’s at the wicket, and he’ll be better for this experience this week. He got us close on a few occasions and it’s a case of when he gets us over the line rather than if he will. This is all part of a journey for Dewald and part of his development. There’s certainly no doubting his ability.”