A last-over defeat in Cairns left South Africa nursing another case of ‘so-near-yet-so-far’, and head coach Shukri Conrad suspects the issue is more mindset than method. “Sometimes we can be too humble. We don’t show off to the world enough what we’re capable of doing,” he said minutes after Australia pinched the series 2-1.
South Africa have now lost two finals in a row by the narrowest of margins – the tri-series decider against New Zealand last month and this T20I in the humid north of Queensland. Skills? Fine. Fitness? Acceptable. Nerve? Reasonable. But, in Conrad’s eyes, the missing ingredient is a touch of chutzpah.
“This has got nothing to do with the way Australia plays, but they have got a blueprint as to how they want to play,” he explained. “There are times when it looks absolutely brilliant and it’s box-office stuff. And there are times when you can have them in trouble, like we had them in the first couple of games. But they stay true to it. What does it mean for us? It’s easier on the batting front, guys like Tristan Stubbs and Ricks [Ryan Rickelton] and Aiden [Markram] himself… there’s so much that they can do. But feel that they have maybe boxed themselves in a little bit too much.”
Rickelton was the only one of that trio to pass fifty, carving 71 from 55 balls in the opener, yet even he admitted his tempo left too much to chase. Stubbs flashed briefly. Markram, now 31 innings without a T20I half-century, drove away in frustration three times in a row. The skipper is still adjusting to opening duties and, if anything, has gone the other way – holding back rather than holding forth.
Then there is Dewald Brevis, who seems to have missed the collective memo on modesty. The 22-year-old rattled 193 runs at a strike-rate nudging 205, rewriting South Africa’s individual T20I record with an unbeaten 125 in Darwin. One shot summed him up: on 22, he lifted Sean Abbott over long-on, kept his head down, and casually wandered away as the ball disappeared. “I’ve hit that so well, I don’t even need to look at where it’s gone,” the body language screamed, even though the actual man remains almost shy once the helmet is off.
Windgat – Afrikaans for that mix of confidence and cheek – is the word Conrad used privately this week. Brevis has it; the coach wants it to rub off on the rest. The balance is tricky. Flaunting ability is useful, insulting opponents isn’t, and South African teams have long prided themselves on understated professionalism. Yet, in a sport increasingly decided by the margins of belief, those willing to back themselves tend to land the final blow.
Markram, for one, is listening. “You do question things after a run of low scores,” he admitted in a quieter corner of the dressing-room. “But the message is we’re here for a reason, so trust that.” Bowling coach Rory Kleinveldt offered similar encouragement. “The plans are good; the intent is what needs lifting.”
Intent must be matched by execution, of course. South Africa’s middle-overs squeeze was serviceable – Tabraiz Shamsi and Bjorn Fortuin combined for 8-0-48 in Cairns – but the death overs leaked again. Australia collected 37 from the final three, enough to tilt the scales. In reply, the Proteas required ten an over from the outset, slipped behind, and never found the surge.
With just five T20Is left before next year’s World Cup, time is thinning. Conrad is not panicking, though. He notes that the squad is largely settled, fitness levels are up, and the players have lived through a few heart-stoppers now. Next on the list is turning brave talk into braver cricket.
“We’re not asking guys to slog recklessly,” he stressed. “We’re asking them to trust the work they’ve done and let the world see it.” The sentiment lands somewhere between a pep talk and a gentle telling-off, and feels fair. For a side blessed with hitters, finishers and crafty left-armers, the final piece could well be a public nod to their own talent. A little more swagger – just not too much windgat – might go a long way.
