The After-Party Braai...dust not settling

Shukri bristles...bountifully

The dust won’t settle for a while after South Africa’s World Test Championship triumph, and neither should it. If the players have a few extra days to bask in the reflected glory of the success it would be almost irresponsible not to take it.

Thing is, supporters glean as much enjoyment from seeing their champions in the aftermath of success as they do in the moment. They can’t relate to what Rabada, Markram and Bavuma did on the field, but they can assimilate with joy.

There was a great deal of that on display at the SA High Commissioner’s residence in Kensington on Sunday evening, the venue for a (very) late-notice celebratory function. A braai, actually.

Last-minute or not, the slightly chaotic nature of the event was relatable to everyone, from the Commissioner himself to Rabada, all the provincial CEOs, sponsors, players and a few media. Who hasn’t hosted a braai when the ice doesn’t arrive, the beer runs out, the wine is warm and the meat is two hours late. Anyone? Except there were 250 people, not 25.

It was a warm, sincere and memorable evening with players mixing with provincial CEOs, sponsors, families and many others part of the ‘cricket family.’

Shukri Conrad was there, of course, bubbling as always. We spoke to him in the immediate aftermath of victory but, as we do in the media, agreed to hold his quotes for 24-hours in order to ‘spread’ the news.

He bristled with delightful indignation when asked about the ‘Big Three’ Test nations, India, England and Australia, and how they dominated the global game:

“We're the world champions. We create our own reality. We haven't played any of the big three? We played one of them, and beat them. This is not me being arrogant, this is me saying ‘when we play against supposedly the top three, we will perform’. We're the world champions.”

Conrad was also reminded of the two big selection decisions he made at the start of his tenure: to recall Markram and appoint Bavuma as captain:

“They were simple decisions. Aidan Markram was always going to be my opening bat, he delivers on the big stage. The look in his eyes when we went into bat…you knew he was going to come good. And Temba, quiet leader, leads from the back, but certainly from the front with the bat.”

Conrad was also quick to acknowledge the crowd and the WTC final as an event at Lord’s:

“It's easy to say because we’ve just won, but if the result had been different, it'd still have said it was the best cricketing experience we've ever been a part of. It's an absolute spectacle. Everything about this place is spot on. But the vibe, the crowd support, it was wonderful.

“People who take time off and spend hard-earned cash at 25 Rand to a Pound to come out here and support us. We're just thrilled that we could deliver for them as well. Australia have been a thorn in South Africa's side for a long, long time.

“It's the most amazing feeling. Obviously, a lot of teams in different formats have got close and not got over the line. And I think in some perverse sort of way, guys like Aiden and Temba will experience the heartache and the trauma of not getting over the line. They become more experienced at handling pressure situations like this. I’m just so thrilled that those guys will get us over the line. An amazing feeling.

“I just want people to fall in love with first-class and Test cricket again.I think people will, because the spin-offs are immense. T20, the most popular format, benefits if you've got a strong first-class system and a strong Test team. You only need to look at the IPL. Our players are the most sought after, and today we become world test champions as well.”