Innovative Shukri Conrad turned a wilting Proteas side into the best in the world

When Shukri Conrad was appointed Test coach in January 2022, he made two big decisions straight away: He appointed Temba Bavuma as captain, stripping Dean Elgar of the position, and he recalled Aiden Markram from the Test cricket wilderness.

Both players were instrumental with the willow, and as leaders, in South Africa’s five-wicket World Test Championship (WTC) crowning against Australia at Lord’s on Saturday.

“Both were simple decisions,” Conrad said with a South African flag draped around his shoulders along the Lord’s boundary rope at the conclusion of the match.

“Aiden Markram was always going to be my opening bat. He always delivers on the big stage.

“I can go back to Pakistan on a tough wicket [Boxing Day at Centurion], he turned up there. And just the look in Aiden’s eyes after we went into bat, you knew he was going to come good.

“And obviously Temba, a quiet leader, [who] leads from the back, but certainly from the front with the bat.”

These bold, left-field decisions have continued throughout Conrad’s tenure as coach. In the final, he opted to bat all-rounder Wiaan Mulder at number three. Before the game at Lord’s, Mulder had only batted in that position in Test cricket twice.

After a plucky, fighting six off 44 balls in the first innings, Mulder scored a gritty 27 off 55 deliveries in the second innings – a massive score in the context of a low-scoring match. It was also higher than any of Australia’s top three could manage in the match.

Conrad also announced Lungi Ngidi in the final playing XI – his selection in the initial squad was already a shock to many. It was Ngidi’s first Test match since August 2024 and only his third in the WTC cycle.

That decision paid off handsomely when Ngidi ripped through Australia’s middle order, dismissing their best batter, Steve Smith, as he returned figures of three for 38 in 13 overs in the second innings.

“What I appreciate about him is the conviction behind the decisions that he makes,” Bavuma said about Conrad after the match.

“There’s always a method to his madness and credit to him, his decisions have come off.”

A bigger cause

As day four approached the ultimate climax, the tension built and slowly filled the stadium like a balloon being blown up with every run increasing the tautness. It burst in different ways when Kyle Verreynne slashed a Mitchell Starc full toss through the covers to seal the victory.

For some, like those who have been through the ringer in heartbreaking defeats in the past, the air was let out through the mouth of the balloon. Keshav Maharaj was quietly in tears while captain Bavuma sat in reflective thought on the home balcony on the Pavilion End stand at Lord’s watching Starc deliver the inevitable.

Others, who have inherited the heartbreak, such as Verreynne and David Bedingham, who were at the crease together at the time, as well as Tony de Zorzi – who was the first to reach the pitch in celebration after the win was sealed – exploded in excitement. There were leaps into the air, high fives, bear hugs and broad smiles.

For coach Conrad, it was a combination of both. You couldn’t wipe the smile off his face if you tried, but behind his big Oakley sunglasses, tears were rolling.

His soft sobs were for reasons outside of just clinching South African Cricket’s first major ICC trophy.

Sedick Conrad, Shukri’s father, who has deep roots in South African cricket, passed away in March this year. Affectionately known as “Dickie”, he had a message for his son:

“I remember the old man had said to me: ‘I just want to see you beat Australia one day’,” Conrad said.

Batting coach Ashwell Prince’s wife passed away in December last year, during the Proteas’ Boxing Day Test match against Pakistan at Centurion.

“It’s not something that we reference in team chats or in a team huddle,” Conrad said about playing for those they have lost. “But the guys just naturally would reach out to either me or Ash as a gesture of some sort.”

Blooming Proteas

Prince, sent on press conference duty as Proteas batting coach on the evening of day three on Thursday, said that “this team’s greatest strength is the unity they have in this camp”.

It’s an environment that Conrad cultivated from when he was appointed Test coach.

Prince went on to say that the current Proteas side is aware that they aren’t the best individual players to represent the country but together they believe that they can achieve something special.

And that they did, clinching the Test mace from the reigning champions and archrivals at the Home of Cricket, under the tutelage of a man who rarely wears his emotions on his sleeve – preferring to hide them behind sunglasses – but with the knowledge and know-how of assembling a team and making them believe in a common cause.

“Shuks is a guy who plays tough but is actually quite soft at heart,” Bavuma said. “If you catch him one-on-one, you can really get to the person behind that tough exterior.

“He’s there for a lot of us. He’s been there for me, he’s cared about me, the person.

“He’s tried to offload a lot off my shoulders. I think I can attribute a lot of that to my success with the bat.”

Since 2022, Bavuma’s year-on-year batting average has been between 48.19 and 54.42 – up from a career average of 38.22.

The Proteas last Test series before Conrad took over was a 2-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia, with rain saving South Africa from a third defeat in the three-match series.

With that flower buried and reseeded under Conrad, the Proteas have blossomed into the best red-ball side in the world. DM