Shukri Conrad: Drop-in pitches would " nullify" Proteas' home advantage at 2027 World Cup

Proteas coach Shukri Conrad is skeptical about the potential use of drop-in pitches during next year's World Cup. Cricket SA has been developing these pitches for major venues across South Africa over the past two years. The Wanderers has already used a drop-in pitch for a domestic One-Day Cup game before it was placed in the playing area.

Players have reported the ball kept low from the Golf Course End, while bowling coach Allan Donald found it to perform well. Conrad admits he lacks experience with drop-in surfaces but believes their implementation would eliminate any home advantage the Proteas might have. He has only witnessed their usage in the T20 World Cup in America, where he believes the results were not favorable.

Conrad hopes the pitches will be extensively tested during the summer domestically to determine their effectiveness before a final decision is made. Former Proteas Dave Callaghan and Tabraiz Shamsi have criticized the drop-in pitches, stating that significant resources have been spent on something that wasn't broken, and knowledge of local conditions gives the Proteas an advantage.