Giving players freedom to express themselves has helped Proteas, says Conrad

Giving the players freedom to be themselves both on and off the field has helped the national squad to gel as a unit, according to Test coach Shukri Conrad, as the Proteas target another series victory against Sri Lanka in Gqeberha this week.

The SA team have lost just one of their five previous Test matches since Conrad took over the side in January last year (winning two series and drawing the other two).

And with the Proteas having won the opening match of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Durban last week, they will again go unbeaten, with either a series win or a draw on the cards.

Encouraged to be themselves

Taking a similar approach to Proteas limited overs coach Rob Walter, who has had mixed results (including some impressive victories) by allowing players to express themselves, Conrad said he was pleased with the results.

“I think we just get on with things. That’s what we’ve tried to establish,” Conrad said.

“What we continually encourage is for the guys to be themselves, both on and off the field, because we’ve got a host of characters.

“I think winning obviously helps as well, and let’s not undervalue that, but they’re just a great bunch of guys who get on with it.

“They train hard, they enjoy each other’s company away from the cricket field, and nothing is artificial. They’re a very authentic group in terms of their personalities, and it’s something we encourage as well. Just do you and be you and we’ll make this whole thing work.”

On-field results

Nonetheless, Conrad said they were aware that they would be judged by their efforts on the field, and while gelling off the field was key, they remained focussed on their performances.

“At the end of the day we get judged on cricket results and performances, not the types of characters we are,” he said.

“But they are a great bunch of guys who are very talented… and hopefully they can continue to deliver the results.”

The second and final Test between South Africa and Sri Lanka starts at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on Thursday.