Coach: Proteas proved critics wrong, are world champions

Coach Shukri Conrad says the Proteas proved a point by beating Australia in the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s Cricket Ground in London, England.

South Africa’s place in the ICC showpiece was questioned by some, with former England captain Michael Vaughan saying ‘they’ve got to the final by beating pretty much nobody’.

The Proteas drew a home series against India at the start of the WTC cycle but did not play Australia or England in the two-year period.

When asked again about their ‘easy’ route to the final, Conrad said: “We’re the world champions. We create our own reality. We haven’t played any of the big three? We played one of them, and beat them. This is not me being arrogant, this is me saying ‘when we play against supposedly the top three, we will perform’. We’re the world champions.”

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Conrad said the Lord’s final had been an incredible event.

“It’s easy to say because we’ve just won, but if the result had been different, it’d still have said it was the best cricketing experience we’ve ever been a part of. It’s an absolute spectacle. Everything about this place is spot on. But the vibe, the crowd support, it was wonderful.

“People who take time off and spend hard-earned cash at 25 rand to a pound to come out here and support us. We’re just thrilled that we could deliver for them as well.

“Australia have been a thorn in South Africa’s side for a long, long time.”

“They always know better than the coaches anyway.”

There’s something special about this @ProteasMenCSA outfit #SSCricket | #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/KWB8Uya4U7

— SuperSport (@SuperSportTV) June 14, 2025

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