South Africa suffered a damning 281 run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the NZ vs SA 1st Test. However, South African coach Shukri Conrad said the defeat was a ‘jolt and a wake-up call’ for the team. Conrad said the Proteas team felt like ‘Burnley going to Anfield every week’ in front of a full-strength New Zealand team.
The Proteas, who are no way near their full strength in the two-match Test series, will have a tough job at hands of drawing the series level when the two sides meet again at Seddon Park on February 13th.
New Zealand completely dominated the first Test match between the two teams. The Tim Southee led team scored a massive 511 runs in the first innings, and South Africa could never recover from the set back.
Speaking after the match, Conrad said, “It’s not okay. It’s tough for everyone here. It’s like Burnley going to Anfield every week. If it was a T20, you know one performance can win the game. [In Tests] it’s five days of relentless effort and pressure. You’ve got to be on top of your game all the time against a quality side like New Zealand.”
