How coach Shukri Conrad's 'crazy formula' helped Proteas topple Australia

Conrad has never been afraid to make changes, often going for a 'horses for courses' approach, prioritizing specific tactical requirements and pitch conditions over keeping a permanent starting eleven.

In the last World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, seamer Dane Paterson came into the fold and took consecutive five-wicket hauls in back-to-back encounters but has not played another Test since.

Lungi Ngidi was instead catapulted into the playing XI and had a starring role in the Proteas winning the WTC final against Australia at Lord's in June last year.

Fast forward to the tours to the sub-continent late last year, middle-order batter David Bedingham was cast aside because, as Conrad said, there were better players of spin.

Senuran Muthusamy and Simon Harmer were brought into the XI and played key roles - with bat and ball - as the Proteas drew 1-1 in Pakistan and then a historic 2-0 series clean-sweep in India.

The Proteas then had close to 10 months with no Test matches, before great rivals Australia came to South African shores for the much-anticipated three-match series between the top-ranked teams in the world.

Conrad stuck largely to the same group that beat the Aussies in the one-off contest at Lord's last year, with Bedingham even given a new role at number 3 in the batting order while fast bowler Anrich Nortje came back into Test cricket from the wilderness following a three-year absence.

The Proteas were soundly beaten in the series opener at Kingsmead, and Conrad was decisive in making changes to his team as the hosts looked to turn things around as they headed to Gqeberha.

Something different was needed against what is an experienced Australia Test side, especially the world-class bowling attack, and Tristan Stubbs and wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne were promptly dropped.

Conrad wanted players who would look the tourists in the eye and take them on, and to that end Marques Ackerman was thrown in for a Test debut to open the batting despite making a name for himself in the middle-order in first-class cricket.

Matthew Breetzke came into the Test team on the back of his outstanding form in the preceding ODI series, even when it was thought that others in the country were ahead of him in the pecking order of batters in the red-ball format.

Conrad has always made it a point that he does not only look at stats when selecting the balance of his squad, sometimes a player's character triumphs his cover-drive.

Speaking after the sealing the series at Newlands, Bavuma opened up about the composition of the Test team: "Shuks (Conrad) has got a crazy formula that he uses. For me, it's to keep questioning him to make sure that we're making the right decision.

"But also whatever decision we make, we back it with 100 per cent conviction. I think also from a leader point of view, I guess you always want to leave a little bit of yourself within the team, and I guess resilience is a word that we speak about as a South African Proteas team.

"I think resilience is something that features massively within my own career as a cricketer. I'd love for us to be a side that can play a lot more from the front.

"But if playing from behind, if us being resilient, that gets the best of us, then I guess we'll keep riding that."

Another big selection call from the Proteas for the final two matches of the series was to drop stalwart Keshav Maharaj and go with Harmer as the number one spinner, something Bavuma called "one of the tougher decisions" he has had to be a part of.

Conrad explained that while loyalty remains important, the Test team must continue to evolve, and Harmer justified his selection with important runs at St George's Park and career-best bowling figures at Newlands.

"Loyalty was a word that was bandied about after the selection of the first squad," Conrad said. "That I was loyal to a lot of players, which to a large degree, yes.

"But I think at some stage you've got to continually look at how you can evolve the team and how we can continually get better. The message that lands is that whatever decisions we take will always be for the betterment of the side.

"And no one feels that it gets done on a personal gain or whatever the case may be, because I need to prove something. None of that."

While there will be huge plaudits for winning the series against Australia, Conrad is already looking ahead the next Test assignment against Bangladesh, which starts on 15 November at the Wanderers.

The Proteas mentor added: "It's critical for us that we take the good from here, look at where we can get better, and make sure we hit the ground running against Bangladesh in a few weeks' time.

"Every Test series becomes the biggest Test series. Bangladesh are going to come here with quicks that can be very effective on the surfaces on the Highveld. Let's not forget that they not so long ago beat Australia."

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