Dale Steyn announces results, thanks Conrad for burying him after his disgusting ‘grovel’ comment

The South African national cricket team has been embroiled in a major controversy due to their head coach Shukri Conrad’s negative comments on the Indian national cricket team on the fourth day of the ongoing second and final Test at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati.

After South Africa ensured India’s historic whitewash in their own backyard, Shukri Conrad used a word that has a painful history behind it, and that comment has overshadowed all the efforts he has put in throughout the series, sparking heated discussions among cricket pundits.

At the end of the fourth day, India had lost two wickets for just 21 runs while chasing a mammoth target of 549 runs against the Proteas in Guwahati. He batted for almost 80 overs in his second innings and almost won the two-match Test series 2-0.

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Shukri Conrad used the controversial word “grovel” when talking about the strong position of the South African cricket team. The Proteas head coach had said that he wanted India to “really groan”, and not only that, Conrad also admitted that he was borrowing the phrase from the late England captain Tony Greig, who used it in the infamous 1976 series against the West Indies.

That statement is remembered as one of the most shocking and controversial statements in cricket history. While sharing his views on this controversy, South Africa’s great fast bowler Dale Steyn looked uncomfortable and clearly said that he does not want to be associated with that word.

Shukri Conrad criticized by Dale Steyn for using the infamous phrase from the 1976 Tony Gregg saga

Dale Steyn said on Star Sports Cricket Live before the fifth day: “I’m not on that boat, right? I don’t like it. I don’t even want to comment about it. There are certain things you don’t say. There’s a stigma attached to it. It wasn’t necessary. South Africa were in such a dominant position – saying nothing is enough. I’m not on that boat.”

Stan pointed out that certain words have a very negative history, and even if Conrad did not have bad intentions, they should not be used. The commentator felt that Conrad’s use of the same word now against an Indian team with its own history of discrimination had reopened old wounds.

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He also emphasized that the South African team was already dominant in the Guwahati Test and there was no need to use such language. Stan said, “Maybe I catch his tone now—it’s not as harsh as Tony Greig’s. But it doesn’t matter. You just don’t use those words. Toss it. You don’t have to say it. It’s disappointing. Sorry, Shukri, but it’s disappointing.”

What is Tony Greig’s 1976 ‘Grovel’ saga?

In particular, Conrad referred to Tony Greig’s famous and very controversial statement of 1976. Greig used the same word against West Indies, whose players were descendants of enslaved Africans and had suffered racial trauma for generations.

This caused great anger among the people of the Caribbean. Inspired by that humiliation, West Indies defeated England 3–0 in a historic series.

Before that series, Gregg said, “If they’re down, they groan, and I intend to…make them groan.” Captain Clive Lloyd later said, “The word ‘grove’ is guaranteed to raise any black man’s blood pressure… We resolved to show him that the days of groveling were over.”