New Delhi, Dec 20 South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad said the concluding leg of their multi-format tour of India served as valuable preparation for them ahead of playing next year’s T20 World Cup.
South Africa suffered a 3-1 T20I series defeat to India but managed to play in conditions which will be similar to what they will find in the T20 World Cup, though fog and dew will be reduced in February-March.
South Africa will play three of their four group stage matches at the Narendra Modi Stadium. If they qualify, two of their three Super Eight fixtures will be at the same venue. Thus, ending their India tour in Ahmedabad made for a valuable preparation.
"It's been a wonderful tour. You learn a lot about yourself and the game and conditions. This last bit has been wonderful for us in terms of conditions that we're going to experience in a few months' time when we come here for the World Cup.
"I'm really happy with the outcomes. Obviously, you want to win every series you play, but India are the world champions in this format for a reason and we've got to make sure that we come back in a few months' time and try and topple them," Conrad was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo at the conclusion of the tour.
Wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock is all but set to open for South Africa in the mega event. "At the top of the order, whether it's opening or No. 3, I think we've got two in Quinton (de Kock) and Aiden and we're probably looking at another batter at the top of the order. We've ticked quite a few boxes in terms of our middle order and middle to lower order," added Conrad.
Pacer Anrich Nortje featured in only two matches during the T20I series against India and went wicketless, but remains a strong contender to make the cut for the World Cup. Nortje was the team’s leading bowler at the 2024 edition of the competition.
"Anrich Nortje hasn't played cricket in a very long time. And we obviously know that playing international cricket at the intensity that it's meant to be played is really tough. We've ticked all of those boxes in terms of getting them through a series where it gives us a really good idea of who's coming to this World Cup.
"Guys like Anrich knew exactly how many games he was going to play coming here. We've got to bring them along slowly. There's no point in rushing guys only for them to get re-injured again. I'm happy with how we've managed that. And certainly they're going to get a lot of match preparedness during the SA20," concluded Conrad.
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