Proteas will be okay despite lack of star names

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad insists the national team will keep making positive strides in the Test arena following their win over the West Indies.

Conrad was talking after watching his side dismantle the West Indies in Johannesburg.

ALSO READ: Faf du Plessis only coming back to win the World Cup

While the bowling unit continues to excel and unearthed another star in Gerald Coetzee, the batting lineup remains frail.

Proteas will ‘skin the cat’ differently

Gone are the days of Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis and Hashim Amla. So fans and critics must be calm because Conrad believes his team has “got to find different ways of skinning this cat”.

“I’m really not concerned,” said Conrad, as report by Sport24, after the series victory.

ALSO READ: Proteas under Conrad: Expect the unexpected

He is far more intent on taking the positives from the short battle with the West Indies.

“People will ask me how I justify that and I’ll say I’m a lot wiser now than I was a few weeks ago in terms of how we want to go forward with and with whom. We also realised there’s work to be done and we’ll have great people to work with them.

“Come our next series, we’ll find a stable unit and create an environment where they’ve been given opportunities to thrive. I’m really comfortable where we’re at.”

ALSO READ: WATCH: Why Proteas newbie Coetzee wears trademark headband

Positives from the series

The new red-ball coach of the Proteas believes the performances of the likes of Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma will help set the tone going forward.

And in fact, the Proteas had done far better than their most recent efforts in the Test arena.

“It’s great that we had two centurions in this series and passed 300 on three occasions, which is something that hasn’t happened regularly in the recent past,” added Conrad.

“That’s not a feat to be underestimated, especially against what is a skilled and disciplined West Indian bowling attack. Conditions didn’t allow much and the inexperience was evident. But the growth is there too.”  

ALSO READ: Proteas coach heaps praise on Gerald Coetzee

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ARTICLES BY WADE PRETORIUS