Shukri Conrad places his trust in teenager Kwena Maphaka to lead Proteas Test attack

The Star

14 hours ago

Zaahier Adams | Published 1 day ago
The excitement around Kwena Maphaka is comprehensible.
He sends down left-arm down thunderbolts that have touched the 150km/h mark. He is strong, mature, smart and ambitious, and hails from the same St Stithians College stock as Kagiso Rabada.
The fact that he's only 19 years old ensures he appeals to an entire generation unburdened by the country's fractious past.
In essence, Maphaka is the future of the Proteas cricket team on the field, and with a home World Cup on the horizon in two years' time, he is the picture-perfect image Cricket SA are trying to promote off it.
This is an almighty load to bear for anyone – let alone someone only recently eligible to obtain a driver's licence – with even the great Rabada admitting to having suffered from bouts of anxiety during the early years of his international career.
It is for this reason that Maphaka can only be grateful that he has Shukri Conrad steering his Proteas future.
Conrad intentionally left the teenager out of his World Test Championship Final squad.
For all Maphaka's promise, Lord's was no child's playground, with the grizzled Australians, the opposition, and the cameras of the world highlighting every play.
Instead, Conrad will unleash Maphaka – and as he rightfully says, 'with all due respect to Zimbabwe' – at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo in Saturday's first Test (10am start).
'With Lungi (Ngidi) not being here for the first Test, Kwena Maphaka is going to lead the bowling attack,' Conrad confirmed on Thursday.
'As a 19 year old, when you get given that responsibility, it doesn't only speak volumes for how highly we rate him, but also the calibre and the mentality that he possesses.
'He's a young buck that shows maturity way beyond his years.
'So, yeah, he'll definitely be leading the attack in the first Test.'
Conrad's laudatory remarks were quickly diluted by caution, though, with the veteran mentor wilfully trying to limit expectations to allow Maphaka the space to develop at his own pace.
Equally, though, he understands the young cub's eagerness to shoulder greater responsibility – like he had always done throughout his school and youth international career.
'We've obviously got to be very smart in identifying when we do put him out in the shop window. I think this would be a great time for him,' the Proteas coach said.
'Zimbabwe, and I am talking Test cricket specifically, where he is not the third quick behind KG (Rabada) and Marco (Jansen) necessarily, but he is the main dog.
'So, that responsibility will grow massively, and it's all about being patient.
'Just like you need to be patient with batters, you need to be patient with bowlers as well.
'We're not going to see the best of Kwena Mphaka in the next couple of months, but these are all the building blocks so that we can see the best of Kwena in, say, three or four years' time.'
Maphaka's development as a top-class paceman is integral to Conrad's overall plan of growing the South African fast-bowling depth.
This has been boosted by the return to fitness of Gerald Coetzee and Nandré Burger, with both seamers being included in the Proteas T20I squad for the upcoming Tri-Series in Zimbabwe.
However, this has been offset by Anrich Nortjé suffering yet another 'stress reaction', ruling the 31-year-old out of selection.
The 'Uitenhage Express' has also not travelled to MLC in the United States, which has limited his game-time to just two IPL matches all year.
'We will have to see the length of the time that he will be out and the extent of the injury. I really feel for him,' Conrad said.
'He is a superstar fast bowler, and having to deal with setback after setback can't be easy. We will wait to see how serious it is.
'Naturally, we are worried. In Anrich's case, this is the second or third stress reaction in his back.
'It is too early to make a diagnosis, and we are definitely not drawing a line through this name.
'He is 31 years old, and we are going to give him every chance to come back. We will have to see what the medical team think is the best way forward.'