Razor sharp: Coach Shukri Conrad backs Protea Raynard Van Tonder to shine in New Zealand
In the words of Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad, Raynard ‘Razor’ van Tonder “is looking as sharp as he’s ever been”, as they gear up for the first Test against New Zealand this week.
In line to make his debut for South Africa in the first Test against New Zealand on Sunday, Conrad reckons the 25-year-old top-order batsman has a bright future ahead of him.
On tour in the Land of the Long White Cloud with a squad of fringe players, Conrad says of Razor’s journey to the Proteas squad: “Razor came through SA U19, he was one who spent time with me at the national academy before and he was on an A tour that he had to withdraw from in Covid.
“When the Knights went down, his form took a bit of a dip as well, but if there is one or two words that speak to Razor, he is resilient and resolute. I still think he’s got a bright future, he epitomises everything we want in our young South African batters.
“He is, not desperate, but very keen to obviously make his mark on this tour. And he’s prepped well, he’s looking as sharp as I’ve ever seen Razor look – excuse the pun.”
He swapped the Knights badge for the North West Dragons last year and hasn’t looked back. With his knock of 54, Van Tonder is one of two Dragons who scored half-centuries in SA’s warm-up match against a New Zealand XI – the other being Ruan de Swardt with 53.
And Conrad believes this will inspire more players from the region to go for green and gold.
The red-ball season is in full swing as the Proteas aim for a series victory over the Black Caps in 2️⃣ Test matches 🇿🇦🇳🇿🏏
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 31, 2024
🗓 4-8 February - Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui
🗓 13-17 February - Sedon Park, Hamilton
Catch the battle between these 2️⃣ rivals on SuperSport Grandstand… pic.twitter.com/c32aXStmAF
He says: “I certainly don’t go around looking where the guys are from. But now that you mention it, the North West province will be really chuffed and it’s great that we can give some of the smaller provinces hope. It’s really good that we are as well represented like we are.”
Hopefully a few of the North West guys and women in the North West province have a line of sight and say, look we can also get there.
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