South Africa coach Conrad wants settled batting order for Bangladesh, England Tests

South African cricket coach Shukri Conrad has emphasized the importance of a settled batting lineup for the Tests against Bangladesh and England, scheduled to take place in Johannesburg and Pretoria, respectively. Following their 2-1 Test series victory over Australia, South Africa now tops the Test rankings and is set to defend their World Test Championship title.

Conrad aims to ensure consistency throughout the two Tests against Bangladesh and the subsequent three-Test series against England, which commences in mid-December.

After dropping David Bedingham from the No. 3 spot in the recent series against Australia, Conrad revealed his intention to select either Tony de Zorzi, who has recovered from a hamstring injury, or Zubayr Hamza to replace him. He clarified that the decision was made to avoid a revolving door in the No. 3 position, stating, "The last thing I want to do is create … what would look like from the outside … as if it’s a bit of a revolving door in the No. 3 position. It definitely isn't that."

Conrad stressed the need to stabilize the batting order, explaining that he has heard the term "ruthless" used to describe the situation, as players may appear to have multiple opportunities before being dropped. However, he emphasized that this is not the case. He stated, "I want to settle the batting order… I’ve heard the word ‘ruthless’ being bandied about because it looks like we’re giving guys two or three opportunities and — if they do not succeed — out, and that's definitely not the case. Sometimes you’ve just got to get the best players in the side first."

The fast bowlers are expected to be crucial for the Tests against Bangladesh, which will be played at the Highveld in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Conrad acknowledged that Bangladesh has developed a formidable fast-building attack, particularly equipped to compete in the challenging conditions at these venues. He affirmed, "Bangladesh have got a fast-building attack now.

Whereas in years gone by, they’d come here with like a pop-gun attack, now they’ve got guys that can mix it. Especially up on the Highveld, where we expect conditions to favour fast bowling. We’re certainly not going to be underestimating them in any way."