- Conrad: ‘I don’t think you ever want to walk around saying you are the best’ “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next.
- In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” Simon Harmer struck three times in the opening session of the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 Temba Bavuma described the series against Australia as “15 days of just pressure” even as SA turned a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 win Simon Harmer struck three times in the opening session of the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 Kagiso Rabada acknowledges the crowd after the win, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 After their heavy defeat in Durban, South Africa bounced back against Australia to claim the series and the No.1 ranking Temba Bavuma came on with a rescue job at hand, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 3rd Day, October 29, 2026 Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins struck in the first session, South Africa vs Australia, 1st Test, Day 3, Durban, October 11, 2026 Fakhar Zaman shone in another ODI chase, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 Fakhar and Baig’s 149-run stand rescued Pakistan from 14 for 2 after Kamindu Mendis’ 131 set them 326 Fakhar Zaman brought up his 12th ODI century, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 Fakhar Zaman kept the chase going with a quick knock, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 India won the series 3-2, which included successfully chasing 226, youngsters stepping up under pressure, and hunting down 199 in less than 14 overs Shukri Conrad , who has overseen South Africa’s rise to the top of the ICC Test rankings and has only lost one of the ten Test series he has been in charge of (against New Zealand in 2024) is staying humble as South Africa seek a second successive World Test Championship final spot.
- “I’m not into proving people wrong.
Conrad: ‘I don’t think you ever want to walk around saying you are the best’ “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next.
In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins The three who matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah all smiles after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” Simon Harmer struck three times in the opening session of the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 Temba Bavuma described the series against Australia as “15 days of just pressure” even as SA turned a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 win Simon Harmer struck three times in the opening session of the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 Kagiso Rabada acknowledges the crowd after the win, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 After their heavy defeat in Durban, South Africa bounced back against Australia to claim the series and the No.1 ranking Temba Bavuma came on with a rescue job at hand, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 3rd Day, October 29, 2026 Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins struck in the first session, South Africa vs Australia, 1st Test, Day 3, Durban, October 11, 2026 Fakhar Zaman shone in another ODI chase, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 Fakhar and Baig’s 149-run stand rescued Pakistan from 14 for 2 after Kamindu Mendis’ 131 set them 326 Fakhar Zaman brought up his 12th ODI century, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 Fakhar Zaman kept the chase going with a quick knock, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, ODI tri-series final, Lahore, October 31, 2026 India won the series 3-2, which included successfully chasing 226, youngsters stepping up under pressure, and hunting down 199 in less than 14 overs Shukri Conrad , who has overseen South Africa’s rise to the top of the ICC Test rankings and has only lost one of the ten Test series he has been in charge of (against New Zealand in 2024) is staying humble as South Africa seek a second successive World Test Championship final spot. “I’m not into proving people wrong. I only look after that change room and instil the belief that they can do what they have done.
There’s a reason why the air is rarefied up at the top of the mountain and once you reach there, you want to stay there as long as you can because everybody’s clamouring to get up there. We need to be consistent and we need to be consistently better.” Conrad hailed what he called an “incredible turnaround” after South Africa lost by 214 runs in Durban, recovered from 40 for 4 to beat Australia by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha and then squandered a good start with the bat and conceded a 100-run lead in Ce Town before setting Australia a target of 388 but also saw some red flags. “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next,” he said.
“In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me.” Ryan Rickelton celebrates his hundred, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 4th Day, October 30, 2026 South Africa’s ability to do more incredibly good things than incredulously bad ones comes from the sense of confidence that has been built under Conrad. At the end of day four in Ce Town, Ryan Rickelton , one of the two centurions who dragged South Africa back into the contest, revealed how Conrad always saw the silver lining. Rickelton, who was on 8 at the end of day three, and looking shaky, said Conrad simply told him that it was eight fewer runs that they’d have to score the following day.
Conrad didn’t say much more and Rickelton went on to get 101. For a man who is never short of words in the media, Conrad said he actually says “very little” in team meetings and allows things to unfold as they will. “People feed off some calmness.
There are times when we get a little bit emotional but it’s just the sense of knowing as well. You almost get a sense that someone will step up, something will hpen and you don’t need to state the obvious. A lot of it is the demeanour, the language.
And it’s not often what you say, but how you say things as well. There’s a genuine belief that these guys can go on and do special things and it’s not blind belief. It is based on what you see and the characters that I know that sit in that change room.
Once they get that belief, then they go out and do certain things. Wiaan [Mulder], especially. We waited long for him to play a knock like he did but we always knew he’s got it in him.” Mulder was the other centurion and had a coming-of-age series, in which he also took ten wickets.
Under Conrad, Mulder has been a near-permanent presence in the side and has matured into a genuine lower-order allrounder, whose development has shown the value of consistency in selection but Conrad also hasn’t been afraid to pull the plug on players. After the Durban defeat, he dropped both Tristan Stubbs and Kyle Verreynne but has not closed the door on either of them or anyone else. “Guys know they get a good run and no one, when left out, feels that he was hard done by,” he said.
“Loyalty [in picking the same players who won the WTC final last year] was a word that was bandied about after the selection of the first squad but at some stage you’ve got to continually look at how you can evolve the team. Whatever decisions we take will always be for the betterment of the side. We are still short in certain areas.
And if we feel that we’ve got guys that will provide that improvement, we’ll look at that as well.” “Every Test series becomes the biggest Test series and the next Test series is the biggest Test series of the summer. Bangladesh are going to come here with quicks that can be very effective on the surfaces on the Highveld” Marques Ackerman and Matthew Breetzke were the two players brought in and it seems like they will be given more opportunities, as Conrad still searches for his best combination. “We’re getting the best XI on the bus.
We’ve just got to find the right seats for them,” he said. “The important bit is that very often you need to be quite malleable as a player also. You take Marques, for example, who’s come in and taken [to Test cricket] like a duck to water.
He’s still going to mess things up because of the way he plays but he is a character that I don’t want to stymie in any way.” And though the puzzle pieces are starting to fit, Conrad won’t go as far as calling this the best version of the Test side he has managed. “I still think there are one or two things that will make us the best version,” he said. “But my gosh, I wouldn’t have thunk this a couple of days ago that we’d stand here.
In the same breath, I’m also not surprised because that lot have it in them to do amazing things.” South Africa have now beaten Australia in successive home Test series, which was last done pre-readmission, and it would seem they have started their summer with their biggest hit. Though they celebrated long into Saturday night, they have a short turnaround to the next series, against Bangladesh and Conrad already has one eye on it. “Every Test series becomes the biggest Test series and the next Test series is the biggest Test series of the summer,” he said.
“Bangladesh are going to come here with quicks that can be very effective on the surfaces on the Highveld. Let’s not forget that they not so long ago beat Australia. It’s critical for us that we take the good from here, look at where we can get better and make sure we hit the ground running against Bangladesh in a few weeks’ time.” “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next.
In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” Simon Harmer struck three times in the opening session of the final day, South Africa vs Australia, 3rd Test, Ce Town, 5th Day, October 31, 2026 “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next. In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me” “We can be awesome one minute and absolutely horrendous the next. In the end, we’re a lot more awesome than we are horrendous and that’s the pleasing part for me”
