Conrad backs Elgar for India series, calls for more Proteas Test cricket

The Proteas’ recently replaced Test captain Dean Elgar is going to want to finish off his international season on the best possible note in the second Test against West Indies getting under way on Wednesday morning.

Elgar only plays for the Proteas at Test level, so will not be a part of the ODI and T20 squads that will still be in action over the coming months, and should he be selected, would only feature again for them in the incoming Test series against India in December and January.

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With the local franchise season also coming to an end later this month, it means Elgar will have precious little cricket to play until the next season gets under way in October, unless he finds himself a gig on the county seen in England.

County cricket

Elgar will be 36-years-old by the time the Proteas play again and is at the back end of his career, so he will need to stay fit and in form if he wants to continue being considered for international cricket.

He had a mixed first Test against the Windies, scoring 71 in the first innings and one in the second, but got himself out almost identically in a very disappointing way both times, ramping the ball straight to the third man fielder.

New Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad believes Elgar still has plenty to give the Proteas, but admitted it would come down to his form over the rest of the year.

“We’ll have to see what Dean’s winter looks like. Hopefully, he can find a gig in the county scene that’ll keep him ticking over and then come the start of next season, we then see where everyone is at, not just Dean,” said Conrad at the Proteas pre-match press conference.

“If we feel that, regardless of the age and experience, if the player is still performing, they’ll still form part of our squad. It is a real concern for guys like Dean who don’t get to showcase their talent as much as the other guys do. We’ll have to wait and see how that pans out.”

More Test cricket

Conrad also said that the Proteas need to play more Test cricket, with them having received a raw deal in the international future tours programme from 2023 to 2027, which sees them playing just two to four Tests a year over that period.

“We need to be playing more Test cricket and we can’t be excluded based on not being a leading light in test cricket. We are, and so are the West Indies,” said Conrad.

“The sad reality is that in a place like the West Indies and certainly not here, the lack of Test cricket or the lack of the national side playing in the Test arena might mean that interest starts waning, and that’s a place you never want to reach.

“Because once a young star does not have that burning ambition and desire to play for his country, that spells the beginning of the end, so hopefully both sides can put in performances that make people sit up.”