Proteas Test coach hits back at critics of South Africa’s WTC25 final spot

It was a momentous occasion for South Africa when they booked their berth in the World Test Championship Final after a nail-biting win in Centurion.

However, the victory also came with criticism from some corners of the cricketing world, with questions raised about their path to the final. It was pointed out that South Africa played the fewest matches of any team in the competition (12) and had not faced heavyweights like Australia and England during the current cycle.

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Former England captain Michael Vaughan, speaking on Fox Cricket, claimed that South Africa reached the final "on the back of beating pretty much nobody".

South Africa's Test coach Shukri Conrad was not ready to let the criticism slide. Ahead of the second Test against Pakistan, the South Africa coach firmly defended his team, rejecting any dilution of their achievement.

"I'm never going to apologise for getting into the final," Conrad told ESPNcricinfo at Newlands, ahead of the second Test against Pakistan.

"It's the biggest thing in this team's existence. It's the biggest thing for South African cricket at the moment. It's the biggest thing for Test cricket, for world cricket, where the right noises are going to start being made."

Conrad pointed out the teams South Africa had faced and defeated on their journey to the final, commending his young squad for their resilience and unity in recent months, which had seen them produce strong performances.

South Africa's path to Lord’s has been anything but easy. Not only did they start the year in a precarious position in the WTC25 standings, but injuries also took a toll on their team.

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After a 2-0 whitewash at the hands of New Zealand in early 2023, the Proteas found themselves in a series of must-win situations to stay in the WTC race.

They responded emphatically, securing a 1-0 win over the West Indies, a 2-0 triumph in Bangladesh and a 2-0 victory over Sri Lanka. They are currently leading 1-0 in their ongoing series against Pakistan at home.

Along the way, they were without the services of captain Temba Bavuma for the Bangladesh series, and midway through the Sri Lanka series, they also lost key players Gerald Coetzee and Wiaan Mulder due to injuries.

"One of the nobodies we beat won a Test match in Australia – West Indies beat Australia in a Test match," Conrad said. "They are not nobody. New Zealand beat India: three-zip in India. New Zealand is not a nobody. Sri Lanka won Test matches [against England and New Zealand]. I don't buy this thing about us beating nobody.

“You tell any side to go and win six on the bounce, in places you haven't won in a decade and with a young side, with a decimated bowling attack and when you do that, you come back and tell me that we've beaten nobody."

South Africa have one final Test in the current cycle – the New Year's Test against Pakistan in Cape Town, starting on 3 January. After that, the national team's attention will turn to the Champions Trophy and the ICC World Test Championship Final.