South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, advised his batters to express themselves more after the Proteas lost the third T20I against Australia at Cazaly’s Stadium in Cairns on Saturday, August 16, leaving the series 1-2.
Dewald Brevis was South Africa’s standout performance throughout the series. The teenage batsman, who scored a record-breaking century in the second T20I, followed up with a scorching half-century on Saturday. Brevis finished as the series’ leading run-getter, scoring 180 runs with a mind-boggling strike rate of 204.55.
Shukri Conrad advised South African batters to emulate Brevis and demonstrate their aggressive batting talents.
He also hoped Brevis would maintain his flamboyant batting style as he gained more international experience.
“I think sometimes we can be too humble. We don’t show off enough to the world what we’re capable of doing. Like Brevis does. He’s obviously going to grow older, but I hope he continues to play like a 22-year-old. Sometimes, with experience, guys tend to adjust the way they play. He’s a breath of fresh air,” Conrad was quoted as saying after the third T20I by India Today.
“This has got nothing to do with the way Australia play. They’ve got a blueprint, and there are times when it looks absolutely brilliant and it’s box office stuff. And there are times where you can have them in trouble, like we did in the first couple of games. But they stay true to it,” he added.
Stubbs, Rickelton, and Markram may have boxed themselves in too much: Shukri Conrad
While analysing the performances of his players, Conrad noted that batters like Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram can take the attack to the opposition bowlers, but he felt that they may have put themselves into shells too much. The Proteas coach said that while the results may not go their way, he wants the players to go for the jugular.
“What does that mean for us? On the batting front, guys like [Tristan] Stubbs and [Rickelton] and Aiden himself, there’s so much they can do. But I feel they’ve maybe boxed themselves in too much. I know it’s a different format, but the Test final was not so long ago, and Aiden showed exactly what he’s about. I’m sure we’re a couple of games away from unlocking that state of genius. It’s not always going to result in winning. But, yeah, I just want us to show off a bit more. I live in Cape Town, and I get to see a lot of it there,” said Conrad.
India
