Markram backs South Africa to qualify for WTC final

South Africa are confident they can chase down a spot in next year’s World Test Championship final, even if they must win four of their remaining five Tests in the current two-year cycle, coach Shukri Conrad said on Friday.

South Africa moved up to fourth in the 2023-25 WTC standings after beating Bangladesh by seven wickets on Thursday in the first Test in Dhaka and will qualify for the final at Lord’s next June if they win four tests over the next months.

They start the second Test in Chittagong on Tuesday and then return home for two Test series against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan later this year.

“We’ve got to have a good chance. You've got to fancy your chances back home,” Conrad told a virtual press conference.

“We came to Bangladesh as underdogs, and we got a really good result and probably go into the next test match having firmed slightly in the odds. But when we get back home, we start as favourites to beat two teams from the subcontinent in home conditions."

“We need to start playing like favourites as well. It's probably easier playing as an underdog, but I think we've got a good little thing going here with this unit, but we're certainly not going to get ahead of ourselves in any way,” he said.

South Africa’s youthful side has played infrequent Test cricket over the last 24 months but showed their potential by winning in the West Indies in August.

India and Australia, who contested the last WTC final last year, top the standings for next year’s final with Sri Lanka in third spot.

The top two teams in the standings, which will be finalised early next year, decide the one-off final.

“Obviously you've got lofty goals that you set yourself and we all want to get into a final … or maybe I should change that ... we all want to win the World Test Championship."

“But we do know that hard graft is going to have to be done along the way,” added Conrad.

“We’re certainly not going to be building any sand castles, or have any pie in the sky, but you’ve got to allow yourself to dream as well, and then give yourself a chance of realising that dream.”