Proteas ‘got a proper snotklap’ but didn’t choke, says Conrad

Shukri Conrad offered a typically frank response to a predictable inquiry after another World Cup semifinal was lost by the Proteas: no, the team didn’t choke.

“We got moered tonight, we got a proper snotklap,” he said.

A nine-wicket loss in Wednesday’s T20 World Cup clash at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with New Zealand achieving victory in the 13th over, was nothing less than a “bloody walloping”, Conrad observed.

“In order for you to choke, you must have had a sniff in the game. We didn’t have a sniff.”

From the time Cole McConchie dismissed Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton off consecutive deliveries in the second over until Finn Allen blasted the last of his 18 boundaries, New Zealand dominated.

But Conrad is also enough of a pragmatist to understand Wednesday’s defeat adds to a litany of World Cup exits that will be hung on this generation of players, who have their own meltdown from 2024 in their gallery of mishaps.

“There will be enough people jumping on the bandwagon. But we did so many special things. I’m so proud of these guys. I don’t think many people gave us much of a chance to make the semifinals.

“But that’s no consolation. Cue the abuse now, there’ll be enough of it.”

Online, unsurprisingly, that was certainly the case. But Conrad doesn’t concern himself with the keyboard warriors; he has to assess matters on the field — and there his South African team was outplayed.

“New Zealand were excellent,” he said.

McConchie’s only contribution was that single over but the damage he did affected the rest of the innings and the match. Mitchell Santner and Rachin Ravindra shared eight overs between them through the middle period, conceding a combined 54 runs, with the latter also picking up the wickets of Aiden Markram and David Miller.

“Their spinners exploited conditions really well up front. They strangled us, we lost wickets, didn’t get any momentum going.

“A hell of a lot didn’t go right tonight. But that was probably enforced. They were so good and never gave us a sniff,” Conrad explained.

While not wanting to take anything away from the Kiwis, who qualified for a second final in the competition’s history, Conrad felt conditions weren’t in South Africa’s favour. The toss, as history has proved at Eden Gardens, was vital. New Zealand became the ninth team in 10 matches to win a T20 International at that ground when batting second.

The pace off the surface at the start of the match was “stoppy”, Conrad said, meaning the ball came off the pitch slowly. It might explain De Kock and Rickelton’s dismissals to McConchie. They were bad shots, but born from a need to apply pressure on the off-spinner.

“It was ‘nothing’ deliveries that got wickets,” Conrad said.

“Such is the nature of T20 cricket. You have a bad few overs and you’re struggling to pull it back. It definitely had nothing to do with nerves and the sense of occasion — nothing like that. It just so happens to be a semifinal again. All the clichés and whatever will come out again.”

We had one chance early on that didn’t go to hand and it was pretty much plain sailing for them after that.

—  Proteas coach Shukri Conrad

South Africa didn’t bowl with the same precision as New Zealand. That was partly to do with conditions, which changed as the dew settled, while Finn Allen and Tim Seifert went hell-for-leather at the start and got away with balls flying close to fielders.

There was one chance created by Kagiso Rabada in the second over, but a zealous De Kock missed it when the ball probably should have been left to Dewald Brevis, running in from the boundary.

“We had one chance early on that didn’t go to hand and it was pretty much plain sailing for them after that.”

In a tournament where South Africa had been outstanding through the first two portions, Wednesday night provided another, all too familiar, sting.

“The guys are obviously hurting. You get judged on World Cups,” added Conrad.

“We chose a crappy time to have a bad night.”

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