Harare, Zimbabwe: South Africa’s all-format coach Shukri Conrad expressed “bitter disappointment” after losing “a game of millimetres” to New Zealand in the T20I tri-series final in Harare, yet he remains “thrilled” with the performance of his new-look team.

Despite losing all three matches against New Zealand in the competition, South Africa came tantalizingly close to lifting the trophy and achieving their highest successful chase against them. Conrad views this near-triumph, achieved with a squad featuring only two players from their last T20 World Cup squad (Reeza Hendricks and Gerald Coetzee), as a testament to the strong depth in South African cricket. He believes this bodes well for the next T20 World Cup in February-March next year.

“There’s so many good things that we can take forward from here,” Conrad stated at the post-match press conference. “The result is disappointing but there were so many good things that happened there today that we can be really proud of and that I am really proud of. With such a young and inexperienced side, to put up the type of performance today, that is also pleasing to see. It’s no excuse for losing and we’re still bitterly disappointed. But there were some really good things.”

Pretorius and Brevis Repay Trust

Conrad singled out the impressive form of young batters Lhuan-dre Pretorius and Dewald Brevis, both of whom are also included in the upcoming white-ball squads for the tour to Australia. Pretorius, who had a lean patch earlier in the tournament, was moved back to the top of the order for the final and responded with a crucial 35-ball 51.

“Lhuan-dre is one of the bright prospects for South Africa,” Conrad said. “He had a lean period throughout this tournament, but he’s a classy young cricketer and exciting times lie ahead for him. Young players go through tough times and very often don’t know how to deal with it. But for him to come back in the final and play the way he did gave us a really good foundation.”

Brevis, who previously had a limited international exposure in 2023, has enjoyed a breakthrough six months with strong performances in the SA20 and call-ups across formats. Despite falling just two shots short of winning South Africa the final, Conrad remains optimistic about his development as a finisher. “Dewald is a special talent,” Conrad affirmed. “He’s hugely disappointed that he didn’t take us home but on another day, he would have hit that out of Harare… This is all part of a journey for Dewald and part of his development. There’s certainly no doubting his ability.”

Noteworthy Improvements in Death Bowling

Conrad also highlighted significant improvements in South Africa’s death bowling. Despite conceding 45 runs in the final five overs of New Zealand’s innings, they gave away only three boundaries and secured two wickets. Nandre Burger bowled two of these overs for 18 runs and a wicket, while Kwena Maphaka conceded 11 in the last over. This marks a notable improvement from their first match against New Zealand in the series, where they conceded 63 runs in the last five overs.

While Gerald Coetzee, who conceded 32 runs in two death overs in that initial match, was not part of the final and is not in the squads for the Australia series, Conrad clarified that he remains a “very much part of South Africa’s core group” for the next World Test Championship cycle and the lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup and 2027 ODI World Cup.

Optimism for Future Global Events

Despite the series loss, Conrad remains highly optimistic about the potential of South Africa’s players. He believes many have “laid down a marker” during the tournament, demonstrating their capability at this level. He emphasized the benefit of growing the team’s depth and the upcoming integration of these young players with more experienced cricketers.

Concluding with a strong declaration of intent, Conrad asserted South Africa’s ambitions for future global events: “If today is going to be a yardstick, then it comes to the T20 World Cup, whoever wants to win the tournament is going to have to beat us. I’m very confident going forward. I think we’ve got the makings of a really great side in every format.”