Pakistan's Usman Tariq celebrates the wicket of Dewald Brevis during game three of their T20 International series at Gaddafi Stadium on 1 November 2025 in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo: Muhammad Sameer Ali / Getty Images) 
South Africa’s T20 batting lineup has fallen apart twice in Pakistan. The team seems to still be figuring out how to properly implement the gameplans set out to it by head coach Shukri Conrad.
The constant chopping and changing of players into and out of various white-ball squads isn’t helpful for the growth of the teams, either.
“We didn’t get out of the blocks,” Conrad said about his team’s 2-1 T20 series defeat to the hosts. “We were outbowled, we were outbatted in these conditions. [There are] very little excuses from our side.”
The first one-day international between South African and Pakistan is head coach Conrad’s 22nd white-ball match in charge of the side since taking the reins in May.
That’s a fairly large sample size. But all of those matches have occurred in the short span of only three-and-a-half months.
And in half of those matches the squad has not always been at full strength, as they currently are in Pakistan. The coach has chosen to rest all-format players with a focus on their Test series in the subcontinent.
Conrad’s win rate is below 50% in the white-ball set-up, having won only nine matches and lost 11 (with one washout).
Adjusting
Conrad has made no secret about the way he wants his team to play: aggressively.
When it’s gone well, it’s gone really well. South Africa beat Pakistan by 55 runs in the opening T20I, after setting 194 for nine for them to chase.
But in the following two matches they were blown away, bowled out for 110 in the second and scoring 139 for nine in the third.
That’s 28 wickets across three T20Is — which comes with the territory of playing more aggressively, but it can come with a cost like the final two matches.
“The inexperience actually showed to a large degree,” Conrad said of his squad. “But then again, there’s no excuse.”
The ODI and T20 contingent in Pakistan have no regular Test players in the squads — such as Kagiso Rabada, Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton — as they prepare for the Test series in India later this month.
South Africa lost the second T20 by four wickets, and thanks to a flurry of late Pakistan wickets it could have been worse. But Conrad acknowledged an improvement in the team’s batting ability despite setting a modest target.
“Just the way in which we started to try to construct an innings, there was an improvement in that,” he said.
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2244473469.jpg "Matthew Breetzke of South Africa is bowled by Muhammad Naawaz of Pakistan during game three of their T20 International series at Gaddafi Stadium on 1 November 2025 in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo: Muhammad Sameer Ali/Getty Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2244351904.jpg "Nandre Burger is bowled by Abrar Ahemd of Pakistan during game two of the T20 International series on 31 October 2025 in Lahore, Pakistan. (Photo: Muhammad Sameer Ali / Getty Images)")
/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2243814136.jpg "George Linde is bowled during game one of the T20 International series on 28 October 2025 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Photo: Muhammad Sameer Ali / Getty Images)")
Pakistan, conversely, are playing a full-strength side, and the difference between the teams showed.
“The inexperience on our side and the experience on their side was a telling difference,” Conrad said. “The skill set of their bowlers on these wickets was a lot better, and I think that was the massive difference. And no partnerships from our side.
“We didn’t get out of the blocks, both powerplays we were 2-3 down. You’re not going to win too many games from there.”
It’s not all doom and gloom, with a few players on display proving that they have the ability to be part of South Africa’s first-choice team.
“The form of Corbin Bosch was really good,” Conrad said. “You can see how he’s grown over the past 18 months to two years. Donovan Ferreira [was good too]. Dewald Brevis remains a bit of an enigma. He’s going to break your heart at times but he’s also going to win you the odd game.”
Performing when it matters
Another dismal performance in the past few months was losing to Namibia by four wickets (albeit with a largely second string side).
The bowling has not been pretty in the same time period, either. South Africa conceded 431 runs in an ODI against Australia (and scored only 155 runs in reply) before copping 414 to England in the same format two weeks later while only replying with 72 runs of their own.
A week later South Africa became the first ICC full member to concede 300 runs in a T20I after England scored 304 against the Proteas.
Those defeats have been ugly. But Conrad’s time with the side has been brief and only in Australia and England have the best available players been selected.
The real judgement should occur at next year’s T20 World Cup in February. That will be when it can be fairly assessed whether all the constant team changes and the changed approach to batting will have paid off. DM