All for One and One Highway for All
Anyone for a glass of red?
Shukri Conrad has been coaching (and winning trophies) for over 20 years so, although he has a natural gift of the gab, it’s no wonder he has perfected the art of the media soundbite and is in tune with the frustrations of the average supporter.
His predecessor as white-ball coach, Rob Walter, never once had a full-strength Proteas squad outside of ICC events. His record in bilateral series was horrible. The nadir came when the national side had back-to-back limited overs series against Afghanistan and Ireland in the UAE last year and lost games to both – including the 50-over series to Afghanistan.
“We're going to put out the best Proteas side every time we play,” Conrad said last when his position as all-formats coach was confirmed. “I've had conversations with our (contracted) players and, when the Proteas are playing, there's an expectation that they'll play for South Africa.”
Walter is an unconfrontational pragmatist who believed it was not just impractical but, long-term, undesirable to “play the same team all the time.” He also thought it pointless running the risk of senior players retiring from international cricket because they were ‘forced’ to play in what were, in effect, ‘development’ series. Like the Ireland one.
Conrad, by contrast, may come across as everyone’s favourite uncle (Temba Bavuma says the players see him as a ‘father figure’) but he is perfectly comfortable with confrontation if that is the route chosen by players and/or administrators – even his own employers.
“It's clear: when South Africa plays, I want all my players available to play. If you choose not to play for South Africa, well, then we go down that road. Our all-format players have been spoken to. They are fully supportive of what I'm wanting to do and then we plan the year for them in advance.”
And there was no compromising his opinion of CSA Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, remaining committed to appointing a national selection convenor to share the responsibility of choosing teams and squads in all three formats. No diplomacy, just frank honesty:
“It’s important for players to know exactly where they stand and who’s accountable, who’s the sole voice who takes responsibility, because I don’t like collective responsibility. The last thing you want is for someone to come in with a completely different agenda. Cricket has never been a democracy. Whoever the fall guy is, he takes the rap.”
Strong words which will appeal to some. Others may wince. As with provincial teams Western Province and the Lions, Conrad sees the national team as ‘his’. His readiness to take responsibility and be the ‘fall guy’ is genuinely admirable although those who believe the national team belongs to the nation might suggest that a second opinion could be a wise investment. There is nothing wrong with Conrad retaining the casting vote in the event of a disagreement.
“The Proteas will never be a franchise team, this is part of building a culture and building an environment that players want to be part of. Every single player is committed to that and wanting to be a part of it so I can quite comfortably say that at every turn the best Proteas side will be put out on the field.” It is compelling stuff. And then, just when you think there is no compromise, he added this:
“By the same token, we still want our players to gain experience playing in leagues so when South Africa are not playing, guys are going to be free to play wherever they want because we want them to maximise their earning potential and then obviously come back to South Africa as better cricketers also. But when the Proteas play all our players must be available for selection. If they make themselves unavailable for selection, well, that's a decision that they've made and the path that they've chosen.”
There will be casualties. Conrad acknowledged and thanked Walter for his period of ‘widening the base’ of players with international experience but said now was the time to ‘zone in’ on next year’s T20 World Cup and the 2027 50-over version hosted in South Africa.
CSA doesn’t have the budget to centrally contract 29 players as the ECB does so a significant number of players aged 30 and over who are not on Conrad’s radar may chose ‘the path’ of domestic franchise cricket. It must be hoped that Heinrich Klaasen, who opted not to accept a national contract, is not amongst them.
****And now for something completely different… Stephan de Swardt owns and operates the boutique Akkerdraai wine-farm in Stellenbosch’s Golden Triangle where his neighbours include the Waterford Estate, Longridge, Haskell, Rust en Vrede, and Ken Forrester. Kleinze Zalze, Blaauwklippen, Vriesenhof, Dornier, Kleinood, Keermont, Stellenzicht, Lanzerac, and Stark-Conde are also nearby as is Ernie Els Wines. The area is especially famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon which thrives in the unique terroir of the region.
The Akkerdraai CabSauv is matured in French oak barrels and is so exclusive that Stephan and his team don’t even make it available for commercial retail. Only 4000 bottles are produced each year and it is only for sale at the on-site shop. Word-of-mouth and reputation have sufficed as the sole marketing strategies.
Stephan’s love of cricket and appreciation of this column has prompted a gesture of great kindness. In order to help ensure Manners-on-Cricket will have a roof over its head at Lord’s for the WTC final, he’ll be donating R150 to my trip for every case of six bottles sold here using the ‘Manners-on-Cricket’ code. Here’s the plaasakkerdraai@gmail.com.
Many regular readers and subscribers may have neither the means nor inclination to treat themselves (or a friend) to such a luxury, but I also know there will be a few who have both. So, get in there, you won’t regret it. And you don’t need to get yourselves to Stellenbosch; Akkerdraai will arrange delivery to every major destination in South Africa for between R12 and R15 extra per bottle.
