Proteas coach Shukri Conrad pleased to have home tours for busy summer of cricket

Head coach Shukri Conrad expressed satisfaction with the Proteas' upcoming tour for a busy summer of cricket, despite a packed international schedule. The team will play all their games on home soil and selectors will employ the country's depth by rotating the national squad.

Following a recent successful T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and Namibia, a second-string South African team will face Namibia in a three-match ODI series starting the following day. Conrad stated that the Namibia series allowed the players to familiarize themselves with the local setup, aiding their transition back into competitive cricket. He also mentioned that the team would be well-prepared for the home tours against Australia, Bangladesh and England before the year's end.

Conrad emphasized that the short flights within South Africa and the availability of family would not pose any significant challenges for the players, as all of South Africa is considered their home. He expressed excitement about the upcoming matches, stating that the players would be ready to "hit the ground running" upon returning to Australia.

For the ODI series against Australia starting in Durban on September 24, a 16-man Proteas squad was announced. Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee, who had been absent from the 50-over format for nearly three years, received his first call-up. While some players were omitted from the squad, including big-hitting batter Dewald Brevis, Conrad assured that Brevis and other players would return for matches against Bangladesh and England in November and December, as the team fine-tunes its squad for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.