By
Proteas coach Shukri Conrad was pleased with the progress his side has made, despite losing the third and final T20 International against Australia by two wickets and with one ball left.
The result means the Proteas lost the series 2-1.
Conrad has only been in the job for a couple of months as South Africa’s white ball coach, and says there’s visible growth in the team in just a couple of series played. He did also note some cobwebs for some of his more experienced stars who did not play the Zimbabwe series.
"The result is obviously disappointing, just like the result against New Zealand in Zimbabwe, but I am nevertheless happy about the growth and the progress that has been made in this format.
"You can see that some of the guys have been playing regularly and they are on form, while others are still fresh from a sabbatical."
It was the second time in just a few weeks that the Proteas took the fight right down to the wire in T20s, having also fought to the end with New Zealand in the tri-series final in Zimbabwe.
He applauded their never-say-die spirit, as this is the attitude he’s been looking for in his team.
Having scored a match-winning century just days ago, Dewald Brevis again top-scored for South Africa with 53 runs.
Conrad admitted that the youngster has probably cemented his place at next year’s T20 World Cup, and urged him to not change his style of play.
"Brevis is going to go on and attain more experience, but I hope he continues to play like a 22-year-old, because most players tend to adjust the way they play as they grow older.
"He is a breath of fresh air, and he has nailed in his place in that World Cup squad."
They will now shift focus to the 50-over format starting on Tuesday, and the coach doesn’t expect too much of a change in approach.
They’ve also welcomed the likes of Temba Bavuma and Keshav Maharaj in Cairns for the One Day Internationals.
16_181x188.webp "keshav-maharaj-odi-five-wicket-haul-(alamy)16.webp")
