South Africa coach Shukri Conrad has said that he wants his players to show off a bit more on the field, much like the in-form Dewald Brevis. The South African batter continued his purple patch in Australia, scoring 180 runs in three matches, which also included a record-breaking hundred. He also 13 boundaries and 14 sixes during the series.
The series didn’t go in South Africa’s favour despite Brevis’ heroics as they lost the final match by two wickets. Speaking after the match, Conrad said that the Proteas have a tendency to be too humble at times and don’t show the world what they’re capable of.
“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.”
“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,” said Conrad.
‘There’s so much our batters can do’
Conrad pointed out that batters like Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton and Aiden Markram can play freely, but he felt that they may have boxed themselves in too much. The Proteas coach said that while the results may not go their way, he wants the players to express themselves more.
“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.
South Africa and Australia will now lock horns in the ODI series, which will begin on August 19.
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