Conrad’s first assignment will be a two-Test series against the West Indies at the end of February, which will be his immediate focus, but before then, he must assemble a coaching group to help him take the Proteas out of the mud.
Shukri Conrad has been appointed as the head coach of the Proteas Test side. Picture: @ProteasMenCSA/Twitter
JOHANNESBURG – Shukri Conrad realised a career-long dream on Monday when he was named as the new head coach of South Africa’s Test team alongside Rob Walter who will take charge of the white ball teams.
The pair will officially take on their new roles on 1 February 2023 and Conrad is highly aware of the massive amount of work he has ahead of him.
While he acknowledged that getting the job was the pinnacle of his career, he has the unenviable task of restoring the South African public’s faith in the Proteas, who are at their lowest in recent memory following a dismal tour of Australia in December.
Conrad’s first assignment will be a two-Test series against the West Indies at the end of February, which will be his immediate focus, but before then, he must assemble a coaching group to help him take the Proteas out of the mud.
“There are quite a few things that need to be dealt with in terms of the way we want to go forward with our Test team and which players we want to take on this journey. The type of cricket we want to be playing and then backing it up with the necessary support staff,” Conrad said
Conrad admitted that getting the job is a dream come true, but it didn’t always look likely that he would be the man at the helm.
“There were times, I’ll be honest, when I thought the ship had sailed and it wasn’t really going to happen. The good thing is that I was never ever bitter and twisted about it. I always have a simple belief: if it’s meant to be, it will be. Thankfully, it’s landed on my lap now and I look forward to it,” said Conrad
The new coach noted how important it was for him to help the team repair the confidence they had lost over a number of lean years and to get them playing like the top-quality nation South Africa’s cricket team had been since readmission.
“We need to start playing like a champion team again. What I’m hoping to instill is for us to play like a leading Test nation, which we haven’t shown in the recent past. A little bit of confidence is gone and if I can restore that, that will go a long way,” Conrad concluded.
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