South Africa coach Shukri Conrad is eagerly anticipating the upcoming schedule of eight Test matches over the next five months.

The Proteas have had limited red-ball cricket recently, playing just six matches in the past 18 months.

 The upcoming series includes two Tests away against Bangladesh, followed by home series with Sri Lanka and Pakistan, totaling eight Tests that will significantly influence their standings in the World Test Championship.

Conrad expressed his excitement about the prospect of a full season of Test cricket, emphasizing the pressure that comes with such a schedule, which he believes is integral to the essence of Test cricket.

“To have a proper season of Test cricket, I’m thrilled,” Conrad told the Sunday Times. “It’s a run of eight Tests that will have a bearing on where we end on the World Test Championship log. So that creates the kind of pressure that you want associated with Test cricket.

“The last time this group would have been together was the one-and-a-half day debacle at Newlands against India [in January].”

Looking ahead, Conrad is pleased to have all key players, including captain Temba Bavuma, fully fit and confident after recovering from a hamstring injury sustained in the previous Test series against India.

“He is in a good space and really confident about where he is, both physically and mentally,” said the coach.