South Africa’s Test coach, Shukri Conrad, has voiced his disappointment following South Africa A’s recent series defeat to Sri Lanka A. The South African team lost both first-class fixtures, held in Kimberley and Benoni in September, under the captaincy of all-rounder Neil Brand, who had previously captained the Proteas during their early 2024 Test tour of New Zealand.
“We’ve actually gained very little from this A series, except the confirmation of the gap between international and our domestic cricket,” Conrad remarked in an interview with kenborland.com. “These are the guys who have done very well at domestic level, so it’s not a great advert for that. They’ve been out-bowled, out-batted, and out-thought by Sri Lanka.”
The series has highlighted a key issue for South African cricket, as Conrad pointed out the widening gulf between domestic performers and those who can step up to international cricket. He emphasized the challenge South Africa faces in nurturing talent capable of making the leap from domestic to international competition.
“These SA A fixtures are a lot about who can take the step up and the message is quite simple really – what’s below the Test side is concerning,” said Conrad. “But it’s not entirely the players’ fault – to get better, they have to play more, both in Tests and in more first-class cricket.”
Domestic Cricket Under Fire
Conrad expressed dissatisfaction with South Africa’s domestic cricket structure, lamenting the fact that the season includes only seven first-class matches, far fewer than what’s necessary for player development. He argued that the limited playing time makes it hard for cricketers to improve their skills.
“We only played 42 days of domestic cricket this season. We can’t have that, and whatever the format, we need to be playing more of it,” Conrad continued. “Cricket South Africa obviously has good reasons for the schedule, but at the end of the day, we need to find a way to prioritise domestic cricket, even at the expense of the SA A team.”
His comments suggest that without consistent quality at the domestic level, the entire SA A structure could be undermined. If the pipeline to the senior team isn’t robust, South Africa’s future prospects in international cricket could be in jeopardy.
Fast-Tracking Talent in Limited Tests
Since his appointment in early 2023, Conrad has overseen the debut of 12 players at the Test level, including top-order batsmen Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Tony de Zorzi, and fast bowlers Nandre Burger and Gerald Coetzee. However, he noted the challenges posed by South Africa’s limited Test schedule.
“Given we don’t play enough Tests at home, speed-growth is required,” Conrad explained. “Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of playing 15 Tests a year, so we can’t give players good runs and bring them along slowly. The schedule demands making big calls on players, and they have to produce the goods quickly.”
He cited Tristan Stubbs as an example of a player who has already shown promise in his new role at number three in the batting order.
Big Home Tests Await
The Proteas currently rank seventh in the ICC World Test Championship and are preparing for a crucial home series during the 2024-25 season, where they will host Sri Lanka and Pakistan for two Tests each.
Conrad expressed optimism about the upcoming matches: “We should start wearing the favourites’ tag more at home. It’s going to be four massive home Tests this summer, not just in terms of the World Test Championship but also for the growth of the team.”
As the Proteas gear up for these important fixtures, the need for a stronger domestic setup and better talent development has never been more pressing.
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