LONDON: As the most poignant juncture in South Africa’s cricket history drew closer and the emotions were running at an all-time high, Shukri Conrad took a step back for a moment of reflection.
It’s been just two months since Conrad’s father, Sedick – one the finest cricketers of his generation – passed on. ‘Ta Dickie’, as he was affectionately known, was Conrad’s biggest supporter, and, of course, also his biggest critic.
He was immensely proud when his son, Shukri, was appointed Proteas coach and of the hot streak they had enjoyed in qualifying for the World Test Championship Final at Lord’s.
He would undoubtedly have been smiling down from the heavens above on the most glorious of Saturdays at Lord’s when Temba Bavuma lifted the ICC golden mace after beating the arch-enemy Australia to be crowned world champions.
“With two runs to go I remember the old man saying to me: ‘I just want to see you beat Australia one day,” Conrad said after the five-wicket victory that set off immense celebrations both in London and back home in South Africa.
This Proteas Test side have certainly been challenged both on and off the field during this past WTC cycle. It was not only Conrad’s father that had passed, but batting coach Ashwell Prince’s wife Melissa lost her battle with cancer on the eve of the New Year Test at Newlands.
Many of the players attended the funeral in support of the Prince family, and it is due to such humbling events that has caused this Proteas group to form a special bond that has managed to get them through the toughest times on the park – like when they faced a deficit of 74 runs on the first innings at Lord’s before ultimately triumphing by five wickets.
“It’s not something we try and do but all of these things happen organically you know,” Conrad said.
“It’s not something that we reference in a team chat or in a team huddle but the guys just naturally would reach out to either me or Ash to have a gesture of some sort.”
SHUKSBALL !!! pic.twitter.com/NhqOBdLzOb
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All of these events have made the taste of success even sweeter with Conrad ecstatic for a group of players that many had not given a chance prior to coming to Lord’s.
“When Scholesey (Kyle Verryenne) smacked that one it was just like an outpour of emotion,” he said.
“Everyone is thrilled for these guys, so happy for them and then something we never talk about, we never talk about what it means to the country but today we can talk about that, I mean this means a hell of a lot to the country.
“I mean it’s the most amazing feeling, obviously a lot of teams in different formats have got close and not got over the line. I think in some perverse sort of way, guys like Aiden and Temba having experience the heartache and yeah the trauma of not getting over the line, they become more experienced at handling pressure situations like this.
“So, really thrilled that those guys could get us over the line. An amazing feeling.”
The Proteas coach is also hoping the significance of the WTC success will kickstart a red-ball revolution back home in South Africa.
“I just want people to fall in love with first class test cricket again,” Conrad said.
“I think people will because the spinoffs are immense. T20 the most popular format benefits if you’ve got a strong first-class system and a strong Test team
“You only need to look at the IPL, our players are the most sought after and today we become world test champions as well.”
