Proteas captain Temba Bavuma and his teammates celebrate with the trophy after beating Pakistan in a two-Test series.
Image: Rodger Bosch / AFP
The Proteas Test team have a song that they sing when coming together for a picture at the end of a triumphant series.
Watching on television, it's been inaudible for most of the summer, and one couldn't actually hear what they were singing. But SuperSport made sure they turned up the volume after the 2-0 series win over Pakistan at Newlands in Cape Town on Monday ...
"We make you look good, we make you look good! Shukri Conrad, we make you look good!" rang out on the field with plenty of laughter. It's definitely an inside joke, with the players having a bit of fun at their coach's expense.
The song, however, is draped in sarcasm, with the players actually celebrating Conrad's contributions to their performances, especially over the last few months when the Proteas have managed to win seven Test matches in a row to qualify for the World Test Championship final, which will be played against Australia at Lord's in June.
Conrad, together with captain Temba Bavuma, is busy transforming the Proteas red-ball side into a top, top outfit. And, the scary thing is, it's still very much early days in the development of this team.
Conrad's plans since taking over the red-ball team a couple of years ago mirrors Rassie Erasmus at the start of his tenure as Springboks coach.
Erasmus started by identifying individuals who have a certain character and who can fit into the way he wanted his team to play. He then went about building enough depth and having uncomfortable, but honest conversations around picking certain teams for certain conditions and opposition.
Seven years on, Erasmus have won back-to-back Rugby World Cups and the Springboks are in rude health.
Conrad is following a similar path, picking players who were previously overlooked for national selection, but who he thinks can play the sort of cricket he demands from his charges. And those players have started to bloom, with centuries and five-wicket hauls a regular feature of the team.
Going into the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands, Conrad decided to drop seamer Dane Paterson, who had back-to-back five-wicket hauls, for the extra pace of Kwena Mapkaha on what turned out to be the most docile Cape Town pitch.
It was a bold decision, but it highlighted Conrad ability to assess the conditions and make the tough calls. The players have certainly bought into that, knowing that the coach is only doing what is best for the team.
Paterson's selection earlier in the summer raised the eyebrows before he performed with stunning displays against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha and Pakistan in Centurion, surfaces that suited his bowling.
It's been horses for courses as far as Conrad is concerned, and the bookies are crying ...
"You try and be as honest as you can be. Sometimes the honesty is too honest, but we try to keep things straightforward, no hidden agendas," Conrad said after the Pakistan series, referring to selections.
"I try to almost plot potentially how things will pan out over a summer. I just steer the ship and the players do most of the work, and they have been absolutely fantastic, every single one."
Conrad enjoyed a trophy-laden domestic coaching career with the Lions and Western Province (aka, Western Province-Boland, aka Cape Cobras) before heading up Cricket South Africa's national academy. So, most of the players in the Test side have worked with the coach during the early stages of their career.
Unlike the previous coaches Otis Gibson and Mark Boucher, Conrad has an in depth knowledge of the local game - he knows what makes the players tick - while his man-management skills on and off the field has helped to create in environment where players are playing an attacking brand of cricket with a smile on their faces.
"There are a few young bucks in the team, and the inexperience is the challenging bit. But that can work in your favour as well. Sometimes experience can hold you back in a lot of things," Conrad said.
"Thankfully, I know all these guys, at some stage I worked with the during my tenure as national academy coach. I know them and I know what they are about. They didn't have to get to know me, they also knew what I'm about."
It seems like the best is yet to come for Conrad and his Test side. Hopefully it's in June this year at Lord's. For now, the coach and his players are making the Protea badge look good.
@JohnGoliath82