South Africa’s head coach, Shukri Conrad, has dismissed the “underdogs” tag ahead of the Proteas’ ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia, instead backing his team as “quietly confident” despite their relative inexperience in batting.
The Proteas topped the WTC standings but enter the Lord’s showdown as outsiders, having played significantly fewer Tests than Australia during the two-year cycle. While South Africa’s bowling attack, led by world No. 2 Kagiso Rabada and spinner Keshav Maharaj, is widely respected, their batting lineup lacks the star power of their opponents.
Conrad, however, remains unfazed. “The inexperience of our batters is apparent in terms of Tests played and rankings,” he admitted. “But there’s a quiet confidence in the group. Different players have stepped up with centuries at crucial times. As a collective, we believe.”
Fixture Disparity Highlights Test Cricket’s Divide
South Africa played the fewest Tests in the WTC cycle, while Australia featured in the second-most—a reflection of the lopsided scheduling favoring powerhouses like India, England, and Australia. Conrad stressed the need to preserve Test cricket’s status despite the imbalance.
“It’s fitting that the final is at the home of cricket,” he said. “Test cricket must remain the pinnacle, and the best players must be available for it. Other formats can coexist, but Tests must be prioritized.”
Proteas Ready to Exploit Any Australian Weaknesses
With no recent meetings between the two sides, Conrad believes the element of surprise could work in South Africa’s favor. “What happened before counts for nothing now,” he said. “Australia may not know much about us, and if there are any vulnerabilities, we’ll look to exploit them.”
He added: “Playing Australia doesn’t get any bigger. We’re here to win, and the boys are ready.”
The historic final begins on Wednesday at Lord’s, where South Africa will aim to claim their maiden WTC title against an Australian side seeking to cement their dominance in red-ball cricket.
