Conrad Urges South Africa to Show More Swagger After Another Last-Over Defeat
After South Africa’s second successive last-over defeat in a T20I final, head coach Shukri Conrad has called on his players to shed their excessive humility and embrace a more confident, expressive style of play if they want to become a world-beating side.
In the wake of a narrow two-wicket loss to Australia in the T20I series decider in Cairns — just weeks after falling short in another final against New Zealand — Conrad pointed not to a lack of skill or mental strength, but a lack of self-belief as South Africa's biggest hurdle.
“Sometimes we can be too humble. We don’t show off to the world enough what we’re capable of doing,” Conrad said, suggesting that South Africa need to embrace a touch more flair, even arrogance, to unlock their true potential.
Learning from Australia’s Confidence
While making it clear he wasn’t asking South Africa to mimic Australia’s style, Conrad praised their consistency and clarity in executing their aggressive brand of cricket.
“They’ve got a blueprint... sometimes it looks brilliant and it’s box-office stuff, sometimes they’re in trouble — but they stay true to it,” he said.
He believes South Africa’s batters, particularly Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, and Aiden Markram, are holding themselves back. Of the trio, only Rickelton made a significant contribution in the series — a 71 off 55 in the first T20I — and even he admitted that his slow start cost the team in a chase of 179.
Brevis the Blueprint
Conrad highlighted Dewald Brevis as the shining example of the mindset he wants instilled across the team. The 22-year-old was the leading run-scorer in the series, smashing 125* in the second match — South Africa’s highest T20I score — and finished with a strike rate of 204.54.
Brevis’s swagger was epitomised by a shot in Darwin: after hitting Sean Abbott for six over long-on, he didn’t even look up to watch it sail into the crowd — a moment that embodied the Afrikaans term “windgat”, a blend of confidence and cockiness.
Off the field, Brevis remains humble, crediting his success to God, but Conrad hopes the youngster’s fearless on-field approach will inspire others.
Markram Still Searching for Form
Conrad is also backing captain Aiden Markram, who has now gone 31 T20I innings without a half-century. Despite another underwhelming series, Conrad remains confident in Markram’s ability to turn things around.
“I know it’s a different format, but in the World Test Championship final not so long ago, Aiden showed exactly what he is about,” Conrad said, hinting that Markram is “a couple of games away from unlocking that state of genius.”
Looking Ahead to the World Cup
With six months to go before the next T20 World Cup, Conrad is focused on building a side capable of handling high-pressure moments. Under his leadership, South Africa have now lost two finals — one chasing and one defending.
Despite the results, he sees signs of progress.
“We should have won [against New Zealand] going into the last over... but in and amongst all of that, I’m really happy with the growth.”
A Balanced Side Still to Come
One challenge South Africa faced in the series was an unbalanced batting lineup. With David Miller unavailable, the side was a batter light. But Conrad believes the right mindset can offset that disadvantage.
“If we want to be brave, we have to select attacks to beat a team like Australia. If I can nudge a batting unit into playing a certain way... imagine what they can do when we have a properly balanced side.”
Conrad also dismissed suggestions that he’s overly reliant on allrounders, despite using left-arm spinners George Linde and Senuran Muthusamy for their dual roles.
“Your top six will be your best batters, and Nos. 7, 8 possibly allrounders... I’m not obsessed with allrounders in T20 cricket, I can guarantee you that,” he said — with the conviction he wants to see mirrored in his players.
As South Africa prepare for a packed season leading into the World Cup, Conrad’s message is clear: the skills are there — now it’s time to show them off to the world.