South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad has a golden plan to help his team prepare for the World Test Cup final against Australia. Conrad’s plan includes teams like Ireland and Afghanistan and revealed how these teams can help the Proteas prepare for the big clash.
It should be noted that South Africa will not play any test matches until the WTC final against Australia in June and the lack of team preparation may be a factor here. The match will be played at the legendary Lord’s.
Their opponents Australia also do not have many tests to prepare for the historic clash. Australia will play two Tests against Sri Lanka later this month, but the conditions in England will present a tough challenge.
Shukri Conrad reveals South Africa’s golden plan to prepare for the WTC finals
While speaking on SuperSport, Shukri Conrad was asked about South Africa’s preparations for the WTC final against Australia. Conrad revealed that his team would like to schedule game against Afghanistan or Ireland in English conditions to prepare for the big game in June.
“We will try to get a test match, maybe in Great Britain, against Ireland or Afghanistan, whoever is available. And if we don’t make it, obviously we’ll go out a few days early and make sure we camp well there, probably in Canterbury,” Conrad said.
Playing Ireland in their own backyard will be perfect for South Africa to prepare for the WTC finals. The conditions in Ireland are quite similar to those in England and this will give the Proteam the opportunity to prepare in the best possible way for the big game.
First WTC final for South Africa
South Africa reached the WTC final for the first time. They achieved this monumental feat by beating Pakistan in the first Test series recently in an exciting way. Later, they won the second try and won the series 2-0.
Meanwhile, Australia reached their second straight WTC final with a win over India in Sydney. Australia are also the defending World Test champions, having won the previous title in 2023 by beating India in the final.
Shukri Conrad greets Temba Bavuma
Shukri Conrad also praised the team captain Temba Bavuma for his striking performances. He feels that Bavuma led the team from the front by performing whenever his team needed it.
“He (Temba Bavuma) has played incredibly well this summer, full marks to him. I think any captain who wants to lead from the front also wants to lead through performance and that’s what Temba has done extremely well,” noted Conrad .
“He did not lose a single match as captain of South Africa (winning eight out of nine Tests). Leading from the front, showing the performances he’s had, he’s probably in the form of his life,” he added.
Under the leadership of Temba Bavuma, South Africa won eight of the first nine Test matches. He achieved this feat in South Africa’s recent 2-0 win over Pakistan in Cape Town.
