Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad says Kyle Verreynne gave him “plenty to think about” during South Africa A’s tour of Sri Lanka.
The wicketkeeper-batsman was a controversial omission from Conrad’s first Proteas Test squad, for the two-match series against the West Indies earlier this year, with Heinrich Klaasen selected instead.
Verreynne had been the Proteas’ second-highest run-scorer in their previous series, in Australia, with 168 in five innings, including two fifties, at an average of 60.86.
Conrad told the Sunday Times he was impressed by Verreynne’s mentality in Sri Lanka, including when he scored an unbeaten 38 in the second four-day match.
“I haven’t had the chance to have a lengthy discussion with him yet. I still want to, but what he showed me here, to want to come back after missing the first match because he was ill, indicated a helluva lot about Kyle’s mentality. I know he’s given me plenty to think about and did his chances of a recall [to the Test team] no harm.
“You could see in this [SA A] side how Kyle’s experience set him apart from others.”
Tristan Stubbs was SA A’s standout batsman on tour, with a century in the second four-day game and two half-centuries in the one-day series, while others also took their chance to enhance their international credentials.
“Matt Breetzke did well, we saw some good work from Dewald Brevis and by the last match Keegan Petersen was also finding some rhythm,” said Conrad.
