South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad stated that the concluding leg of their multi-format tour of India served as valuable preparation ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.
Despite suffering a 3-1 T20I series defeat to India, South Africa gained experience in conditions that will resemble those in the upcoming World Cup, although fog and dew will be less prevalent in February-March.
Preparation in Ahmedabad
South Africa is scheduled to play three of their four group stage matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Should they qualify, two of their three Super Eight fixtures will also take place at the same venue. Ending their India tour in Ahmedabad proved to be an important step in their preparations.
Conrad expressed, “It’s been a wonderful tour. You learn a lot about yourself and the game and conditions. This last bit has been wonderful for us in terms of conditions that we’re going to experience in a few months’ time when we come here for the World Cup.”
He added, “I’m really happy with the outcomes. Obviously, you want to win every series you play, but India are the world champions in this format for a reason and we’ve got to make sure that we come back in a few months’ time and try and topple them,” as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Key Players for the World Cup
Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is likely to open for South Africa in the mega event. Conrad mentioned, “At the top of the order, whether it’s opening or No. 3, I think we’ve got two in Quinton (de Kock) and Aiden and we’re probably looking at another batter at the top of the order. We’ve ticked quite a few boxes in terms of our middle order and middle to lower order.”
Pacer Anrich Nortje played only two matches in the T20I series against India and went wicketless, yet he remains a strong candidate for the World Cup squad. Nortje was the team’s leading bowler during the 2024 edition of the tournament.
Conrad remarked, “Anrich Nortje hasn’t played cricket in a very long time. And we obviously know that playing international cricket at the intensity that it’s meant to be played is really tough. We’ve ticked all of those boxes in terms of getting them through a series where it gives us a really good idea of who’s coming to this World Cup.”
He emphasized the importance of being cautious with players returning from injury, saying, “Guys like Anrich knew exactly how many games he was going to play coming here. We’ve got to bring them along slowly. There’s no point in rushing guys only for them to get re-injured again. I’m happy with how we’ve managed that. And certainly, they’re going to get a lot of match preparedness during the SA20.”