Conrad and Bavuma credited with rebuilding Proteas Test resilience
An IOL opinion column argues that coach Shukri Conrad and captain Temba Bavuma have given the Proteas Test team a tougher, calmer identity.
A new opinion column on IOL by John Goliath makes the case that the Proteas Test side has changed in character as well as in results, and that two men deserve most of the credit: coach Shukri Conrad and captain Temba Bavuma.
A clear message from the coach
According to the column, Conrad arrived with a firm mandate. He wanted the team to commit fully to Test cricket, to raise its standards and to treat playing for South Africa as an honour, even with so much money on offer in global T20 leagues.
Goliath writes that Conrad has repeatedly picked players who show fight and hunger, and that his selections feel planned rather than knee-jerk. He describes a coach who is consistent in his messaging, who challenges his players and protects them, and who expects accountability while treating everyone with respect.
The column links that approach to some notable achievements: a World Test Championship title, series wins in the Subcontinent and at home, and a heavy defeat of India on Indian soil.
Calm leadership on the field
Goliath describes Bavuma as the steady counterpart to Conrad’s firmness. In his view, the pairing has produced a dressing room with little noise around it, where leadership is quiet but still carries real weight.
The columnist points to the home series against Australia as the clearest example. The Proteas lost the first Test in Durban, yet fought back to win in Gqeberha. They then claimed another comeback victory at Newlands in Cape Town. In that match, he says, the team recovered from a poor first innings with the bat on a good batting pitch and then turned the contest around.
Goliath argues that these two wins showed the team can now handle pressure rather than give way to it. In his words, the attitude is a defiant “not today, chief”. He contrasts this with earlier eras, when South African Test sides sometimes buckled under heavy strain.
A column, not a match report
It is worth remembering that this is an opinion piece, so the judgements in it belong to the writer. The factual points he relies on are the results against Australia and India, the World Test Championship title and the claim that Bavuma has lost only one match as captain.
His conclusion is that the Proteas have regained a strong sense of identity under the pair, and that he rates them as the best Test side in the world.
This story is based on reporting by IOL.
