Proteas Test coach sounds the alarm over lack of pace

Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad has admitted great concern over the lack of pace on display in the recent CSA Four-Day Trophy final.

Conrad said a lack of fast bowlers playing in the big red-ball final should set some alarm bells ringing.

Proteas Test coach sounds the alarm

While noting the presence of young Proteas standout Nandre Burger, he lamented the lack of express bowlers at First Class level.

“If you look at the (CSA Four-Day Series) final that just took place now, I don’t think you saw anyone bowl above 136km/h, and that is a massive concern, especially for a country like ours where we’ve always had good fast-bowling stocks,” Conrad told IOL.

“You take Nandre (Burger) out of that final, with respect to the guys that were playing, there was no pace.

“From the spinners’ point of view, outside of Keshav (Maharaj), what are our spinning stocks looking like? When conditions aren’t spin-friendly, will they be able to make a positive impact on the game?

“If I’m being brutally honest, the standards of our bowling as a collective is not strong. It makes it really tough to use the first-class game as the only benchmark or barometer for selecting batters,” he concluded.

Another warning

Conrad has aimed some pointed criticism at the domestic game as poor preparation for the rigours of Test cricket.

He felt that the players who took a thumping in the series in New Zealand would rethink their position relative to being ready for Test cricket.

“A few of them would have taken a knock in terms of the harsh realities that Test cricket brings, and possibly how far away they still are. Many feel that they’re closer to the Test side than they currently are,” Conrad told ESPN Cricinfo. 

“You go through a few days like they have been through, and that’s a jolt and a wake-up call.”

Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced split coaches for the national team, with Conrad appointed for the Test format and Rob Walter overseeing the white-ball teams last year.

Conrad finds himself in place as a custodian of the red-ball game in South Africa, and his warnings should prompt some reaction from other power players.

He needs support to keep the longer formats of the game healthy in South Africa, and the SA20 clash with the tour to New Zealand was not a good sign.

Conrad’s role as Test coach is arguably the tougher assignment, and he might already be feeling pangs of regret.