Coach Shukri Conrad has responded to claims that the Proteas don’t deserve to be in the World Test Championship final.

South Africa booked their place in the showpiece match at Lord’s in June with a two-wicket win against Pakistan in Centurion.

During the 2023-25 WTC cycle, the Proteas have won Test series against Bangladesh (away), the West Indies (away) and Sri Lanka (home), drawn a home series with then No 1-ranked India and lost an away series to New Zealand (when Conrad was forced to select a ‘C-team’ with no SA20 representatives). They have not played Australia or England.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan said South Africa got to the final “on the back of beating pretty much nobody” and that they don’t “warrant being in the World Test Championship final with whom they have played over the last two years”, while former Australia coach Darren Lehmann said the Proteas “wouldn’t beat any of the top three”.

Critics have also pointed out that the Proteas will only play 12 Tests in this cycle, compared to 22 for England and 19 for each of India and Australia.

“I’m never going to apologise for getting into the final,” Conrad told ESPNcricinfo ahead of the second Test against Pakistan at Newlands. “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 said labelling South Africa’s opponents “nobodies” was an insult to those Test nations who had achieved success against the “Big Three”.

“One of the ‘nobodies’ we beat won a Test match in Australia – the West Indies beat Australia in a Test match. They are not nobody. New Zealand beat India three-zip in India. New Zealand are 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.”

ALSO: I hate watching cricket – Mulder

Photo: Christiaan Kotze/Gallo Images