Proteas coach Conrad backs veteran Elgar: If the player is still performing, they'll stay

Proteas red-ball coach Shukri Conrad said a senior candidate like Dean Elgar remains a cornerstone of his team even though South Africa is at the short end of the stick regarding Test match scheduling.

Wednesday's second Test against the West Indies at the Wanderers will be SA's last red-ball outing until the Boxing Day Test against India later this year.

That means a player like Elgar, who was recently relieved of the captaincy and is also 35, won't have any international cricket to look forward to for the rest of the year.

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Conrad said the fact that someone like Elgar and other Test specialists don't have any cricket is a concern but says age will never be a factor in how he selects his teams.

"We'll have to see what Dean's winter looks like," Conrad said.

"Hopefully, he can find a gig in the county scene that'll keep him ticking over and then come the start of next season, we then see where everyone is at, not just Dean.

"If we feel that, regardless of the age and experience, if the player is still performing, they'll still form part of our squad.

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"It is a real concern for guys like Dean who don't get to showcase their talent as much as the other guys do.

"We'll have to wait and see how that pans out."

Where South Africa got things right from a batting front was how quickly their runs came in the first Test.

The collapses that have been synonymous with SA's batting in recent times were still present, however.  In the first innings against the Windies, they lost 9/121, and in the second, they lost 10/85.

Aiden Markram's 115 and 47, along with Elgar's 71,