STRONGER TOGETHER

BY VOICE SPORTS TEAM

ARMED with a coaching philosophy he shares with Springbok mastermind Rassie Erasmus, Proteas baas Shukri Conrad wants to take South Africa back to the top of Test cricket.

And Conrad and his Proteas span will get that shot when they face current World Test Champions, Australia, in the World Test Championship final from 11-15 June at Lord’s.

Since Conrad has taken over as coach of the SA red-ball team, he has masterminded his team to some unprecedented success, winning seven Tests in a row to qualify for the WTC final.

And of how the Lansdowne-born coach has done it by also using Erasmus’ ‘Warrior’ philosophy, Conrad says he received a quiet knock on his hotel room door during the Test series against Pakistan earlier this year. 

It was Erasmus, and Conrad tells SportsBoom of the visit: “[It was] like unlocking a door to a shared coaching soul.

“There was no ego. Just two SA coaches around a fire talking about getting the best out of our players…

“We didn’t talk tactics. We talked belief. We talked about kids from Lansdowne or Zwide having something worth dreaming about.”

He adds of how his team don’t fear taking on a star-studded Australian outfit: “I don’t care if they’ve got more caps. I care that KG [Kagiso Rabada], Marco [Jansen], and Temba [Bavuma] believe they can win. That’s the only stat I need.

“Just being there is a blessing. But I’m not going to admire the paintings. I’m going to win.”

Of his own journey as a kid playing cricket in the streets to coaching his country and what it means Conrad says: “When I look back, I always see the faces...  the families. The aunties on the stoep. That’s the soul of my story. That’s where my fire comes from.”