South Africa’s run-scoring success in Bangladesh didn’t just happen; it has been in the making and is getting to where it needs to

Firdose Moonda01-Nov-2024A willingness to be brave when batting in unfamiliar conditions underpinned South Africa’s run-scoring success in Bangladesh, in the opinion of Test coach Shukri Conrad.”Teams go to the sub[continent] better prepared and they are less fearful because they have found different ways of skinning the cat here, either through a power game or through an upskilling,” Conrad said after South Africa swept the Test series 2-0 in Bangladesh. “Guys don’t come here in a defensive mindset anymore. They actually look at scoring options rather than trusting their defence, as was the old adage.”For the first time since 2016, South Africa had more than two centurions on an away tour and they finished this series with four, three of them first-time centurions. They also topped 300 in both first innings and posted their third-highest total in Asia with their 575 for 6 declared in Chattogram. All that is a result of clearer plans and more confident players, who don’t carry the ghosts of tours past.Related

Three first-time Test centurions in SA's batting feast

South Africa's batting stars are starting to align

'Worth the sacrifice' – SA savour subcontinent high

Only one of the playing XI across both matches, Aiden Markram, had been involved in a Test in Asia before this tour, which meant South Africa went in with a distinct lack of experience. That they did not even play a tour match in Bangladesh only added to the newness of the occasion, but Conrad explained that they chose to prepare at home, because they felt they would have more control over conditions.Although South Africa could not exactly replicate a Mirpur or Chattogram pitch, Conrad said they “created extreme conditions in Pretoria”, which had benefitted them more than playing an opposition side on a surface that might not have resembled the Test pitches at all. And then they worked on their mindset. “We kept talking around the mentality that we want this group to have and for them to back what they’ve got and to show their character in everything they do. We want to create an environment where it is okay to make mistakes.”Read that again and there are sprinkles of Bazball in it: a willingness to be more attacking than usual, a focus on proactiveness, an acceptance that trying these may not work. Where South Africa are different to England is that they have so much more to lose. They play far fewer Tests than England, especially in this cycle where they are on a reduced schedule as they prioritised the SA20, and so every match is a must-win. That means they can’t be quite as carefree in their batting approach. But because there is pressure to get results, they also can’t be as conservative as teams of old.

“We’re almost coming into a bit of a sweet spot now. That’s probably the most important part, that Shukri [Conrad, the red-ball coach] is picking the right characters. That’s what you’re seeing – because of that character, there’s a freedom to express yourself when you play”Kagiso Rabada

Perhaps the best illustration of that is their scoring rate in Chattogram: 3.98 runs per over in their only innings. There were times, such as early on when Markram and Tony de Zorzi enjoyed batting against the new ball and, later, as Wiaan Mulder and Senuran Muthusamy rushed to the declaration, that South Africa were scoring at close to or more than five an over. But there were also times when the run rate dipped to under three, boundaries dried up, and they had to bide their time. A final analysis of a shave under four runs an over is not slow enough to cause stagnation and quick enough to keep things moving.The changes in the pace of the scoring is something that has been noticed and appreciated by their bowlers. “The guys are being more open as to scoring and you can see there’s a whole lot of scoring options,” Kagiso Rabada said. “And those scoring options are being executed well.”Rabada, who has played Test cricket for nine years and had not been part of a South Africa team to win a series in the subcontinent until now, has also seen a change in the batters’ belief, which he traces back to last summer. “There is a confidence because of the performances that the guys have put in. I was actually very impressed when India came to South Africa. That’s when it really struck me,” he said. “The wickets were spicy. But you had guys like Beddders [David Bedingham] and Tony de Zorzi, they put their hands up in that series and conditions were tough to bat.”Shukri Conrad: “We want to create an environment where it is okay to make mistakes”•Cricket South AfricaDe Zorzi also identified the India series – which was drawn 1-1 – as a turning point for the way South Africa’s line-up approached their game. He was in his second series and contributed just 28 runs in the first Test and three in the second, but spent an hour and 48 minutes in the middle at SuperSport Park fending off the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj. By the time, Bedingham, on debut, came out to bat, there was something to build on. He scored a half-century. Of course, it cannot be ignored that South Africa’s win in that Test was a result of the now-retired Dean Elgar’s 185, but from what the current players are saying, they learnt something from batting around him and against a quality attack. Since that match – and the New Zealand series which South Africa went to with an under-strength side – South Africa have only been bowled out for under 200 once in seven innings. Consider that they went through a period in 2022 where they were dismissed for under 200 for seven successive innings, and it’s a good way of picking up the difference.For Rabada, the batting turnaround also completes a transition phase that has lasted throughout his career. “We went through a transition phase when all the GOATs retired,” he said, referring to the period between 2012 and 2023, when South Africa had a big-name retirement every year. It started with Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith between 2012 and 2014, and moved to AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla and Elgar in the last three years. Throw in names like Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander and you can see how much ground South Africa have had to cover in moving from some of the best the game has ever seen to a new group.Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs were among three first-time century-makers in Chattogram•AFP/Getty Images”We’re almost coming into a bit of a sweet spot now,” Rabada said. “That’s probably the most important part, that Shukri is picking the right characters. That’s what you’re seeing – because of that character, there’s a freedom to express yourself when you play.”Maybe the most important thing in reading between the lines is that South Africa are a happier and more cohesive team than they have been in several years. That could be thanks to a more stable governing body, it could be because they have dealt with a messy past through the Social Justice and Nation Building hearings. Or it could just be the way generations change.”We play for each other. And the main thing is the badge. Because you’re only here for a limited amount of time. So we respect each other. Everyone’s allowed to be who they are,” Rabada said. “But then we also draw the line on what we agree upon in terms of playing and how we want to conduct ourselves as a team. But everyone is trusted in doing what they do. And there is a real camaraderie.”I mean, it’s not like we hold each other’s hands everywhere we go but we’re together. We’re together and we’re willing to take anything on. We win as a team, we lose as a team, and everyone is buying in.”