Zaahier Adams
The Proteas’ T20 side has already broken new ground this year by reaching a first World Cup final in Barbados.
The Test side is now determined to stay in the hunt for next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final after a 1-0 series win over the West Indies.
It will undoubtedly be a remarkable achievement for the Proteas should they get to Lord’s next year as they will need to win half a dozen Test matches on the bounce.
“We’ve got a big couple of months ahead of us to grow as a Test team.” – Shukri Conrad
The current Test side is undergoing a transition with a host of young upstarts still finding their feet at the highest level. But that is not deterring Test coach Shukri Conrad from dreaming about the “nice pot of gold at the end of the rainbow”.
“We’ve got a big couple of months ahead of us to grow as a Test team. At the end of that, if we do very well and we win enough games, we can end up in the World Test Championship final,” Conrad said.
“It is not something that we focus on entirely, and the only reason we play, but it is nice that at the end of a Test cycle there is something for Test teams to play for.
“There is a World Cup in every other format, and no reason why Test cricket should not have something like this. But that’s not the only goal of the team. It’s also to grow as a team.”
Balancing the dual objective of trying to build a strong Test side that will serve the Proteas well into the future along with qualification for the WTC final is no simple task.
Conrad has, though, shown his hand by handing young tearaways such as Gerald Coetzee and Nandre Burger, along with batters Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs, Test debuts since taking over the red-ball coaching duties last year.
The objective becomes even harder due to the Proteas’ limited Test schedule, but they will at least have a more structured approach over the next six months.
The Proteas Test side is scheduled to visit Bangladesh in October, although that tour is now under scrutiny due to political upheaval in the Asian country.
Conrad has, though, stated that the tour remains on track and that Cricket SA has not been advised of any changes to the schedule as yet.
After the Bangladesh tour, the Proteas return for the start of their international Test summer with two matches against Sri Lanka and a further couple against Pakistan to close off their WTC cycle.