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South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad stated that any adjustments in the Proteas’ preparation for the Men’s T20 World Cup will focus on managing players’ workload rather than uncertainties about their
roles, adding that the team is ‘pretty clear’ about their lineup for the tournament.
South Africa rested Tristan Stubbs, Keshav Maharaj, and Anrich Nortje in their 51-run victory over India in New Chandigarh as part of a rotation policy. For the series-levelling win, which brought the scoreline to 1-1, the Proteas included Reeza Hendricks, Ottniel Baartman, and George Linde in their playing eleven.
“It might look as if we’re slightly unsure, given the number of changes we make every match. But it’s certainly not changes for the sake of being changes. We have a pretty good idea of what our World Cup squad will be like.”
“Again, it’s really just managing players. There are a few guys who have been here since the Test Series. And then we’ve also got SA20 after this. So, really just about managing players and then also giving everybody a good run. See what works here, what doesn’t work. But, we’re pretty clear in terms of what we want,” Conrad told reporters ahead of the third T20I, to be played on Sunday.
Following the T20I series, South Africa’s players will participate in SA20, starting on Boxing Day and concluding on January 25. Then, they will focus on the Men’s T20 World Cup, taking place from February 7 to March 8.
After Bouncing Back!
Conrad noted the team’s confidence is high after the win in the second T20I and added that they are prepared for the dewy conditions. “Look, it’s always nice getting a win, and it does raise the confidence, especially after how the first match went.”
“But again, I think sometimes you come to a ground where historically the scores are quite high, and you feel that you need to be pitching at a certain mark, and then you find yourself in a little bit of trouble.
“So again, we certainly don’t have any specific target in mind in terms of where we want to reach as a batting unit. But we’re pretty confident in our all-round game. We did a lot of work before the series, bowling with a slightly wet ball during the ODIs. The hard work’s been done,” he elaborated.
Conrad concluded by clarifying T20I captain Aiden Markram’s batting position. “I think Aiden’s pretty flexible. I think we know who the opening bat is, definitely. He’s a left-hander (Quinton de Kock).”
“Then obviously we’ll just see how we pair that up. Aiden’s done a great job. I think last year he had a wonderful IPL opening the batting. He’s also batted at No. 3 and 4 in previous World Cups. But I don’t think you’ll see him bat lower than No 3 if I were to give anything away.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
