ZIMBABWE T20I TRI-SERIES, 2025
Conrad recently took over as South Africa’s all-format coach ©Getty
For a while at Harare Sports Club on Saturday, South Africa seemed reinvented. They were 92 without loss in the 10th needing another only 89 from 62 to win the men’s T20I triseries final against New Zealand.
Then the wickets started tumbling, two for 24 runs and two more with consecutive deliveries leaving the South Africans with 50 to get off 29. Moreover, Dewald Brevis and George Linde were freshly arrived at the crease.
But Brevis launched three contrasting sixes – over extra cover off Zakary Foulkes, one-handed over long-on off Jacob Duffy, and again, with both hands this time, over long-on off Duffy, the top ranked bowler in the format – to score 31 off 16 and keep South Africa in the game.
Until, that is, the second ball of the last over. With seven needed, Brevis lifted Matt Henry towards the midwicket ropes – where Michael Bracewell danced this way and that, tossed the ball up at the crucial instant and caught it again to complete the key dismissal of the game.
Corbin Bosch replaced Brevis, and hammered Henry’s first offering to him to midwicket. Bracewell rushed forward but, with the sun in his eyes, spilled the catch.
Two balls later, with four needed, George Linde looked to win it by hoisting Henry down the ground – only for Daryl Mitchell to take a fine tumbling catch.
Senuran Muthusamy could only flap ineffectively at the final delivery of the match to seal New Zealand’s three-run success.
The drama wasn’t lost on Shukri Conrad, who told a press conference: “T20 cricket can be brutal. It’s a game of millimetres. Going into the last over you’re backing yourself to get seven runs off six balls with an in batter like Dewald there.
“And then he gets a ball he normally would hit out of Harare and finds the toe end of the bat and it doesn’t go for six. Then George hits another good one and there’s a hell of a catch from Mitchell.”
The match was a thrilling end to a tournament that has otherwise bumbled along out of sight and mind of most who might have been expected to take an interest. Some naysayer somewhere – probably more than one – will call this a choke. Closer to the truth is that it was a gripping game of cricket that could have been won by either side. New Zealand hung a mite tougher than their opponents, and were duly rewarded.
They totalled 180/5 – the second-highest first innings of the tournament – on the best batting pitch seen in its seven matches. Then they defended it, just, with a characteristically canny bowling and fielding performance.
There was no nervousness in South Africa’s response to all that, but they will be disappointed to have lost a match they should have won. The Kiwis reeled off five consecutive wins, including in all three games they played against Conrad’s side – who looked out of sorts until Saturday’s final.
“We played some really good cricket today but New Zealand have been the class side in the tournament, so hats off to them,” Conrad said. “But I’m thrilled with the way we played. That’s no excuse for losing, but we did some really good things.”
South Africa were without several major players. Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Marco Jansen and Kagiso Rabada were all absent. Of the squad who took South Africa to last year’s T20 World Cup final only Reeza Hendricks and Gerald Coetzee were in attendance.
Conrad was satisfied that the replacements had done their bit: “The bulk of them laid down a marker at some stage during this tournament that they belong at this level and that they want to be a part of this team. It’s great when you can grow your strength or your depth, and I think we’ve managed to do that.
“We want to play our strongest team whenever we can, and that’s going to be the case going forward. But our experienced guys, our guys who play across all formats, needed a break.”
Rassie van der Dussen, Rubin Hermann and Lhuan-dre Pretorius scored half-centuries during the competition. Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi and Nandre had economy rates under seven.
So impressed was Conrad that he declared: “When it comes to the T20 World Cup, I think whoever wants to win the tournament is going to have to beat us.”
A lot will happen before teams gather in Sri Lanka and India in February for that event. But Conrad’s words are unlikely to have been forgotten by then.
© Cricbuzz
