South Africa defend weakened test squad for New Zealand series

02.01.2024 - 18:49 channelnewsasia.com

Test cricket remains the pinnacle of the game, Cricket South Africa (CSA) said after it was criticised for selecting a second-string squad featuring seven debutants for the country's two fixtures in New Zealand next month.The series will clash with CSA’s domestic Twenty20 competition, which is seen as vital to the future financial health of the organisation.

The country’s leading players will therefore stay at home and skip the overlapping test tour to New Zealand.CSA says this will be a one off scenario with no fixture clashes in future, but the decision has drawn criticism from several quarters, including former Australia captain Steve Waugh. "CSA has the utmost respect for the test format as the pinnacle of the game we love," the organisation said in a statement on Tuesday. "The dates for this tour were set when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027 was finalised in 2022. "The window for the SA20 had not been determined at that stage.

Once it became apparent that there would be a clash, we made every effort to find another mutually suitable timeslot for this series in consultation with New Zealand Cricket."Regrettably the constraints imposed by the global cricket calendar rendered this impossible, as the games must be played before April 2025 as part of the World Test Championship."Our schedule for the remainder of the FTP has been managed to ensure that there will not be any further clashes between our bilateral commitments and the SA20."Only two players from the South African XI that defeated top-ranked India by an innings and 32 runs in the first test of their series last week, David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen, will be on the tour, while the side will be led by uncapped captain Neil Brand. "CSA remains

cricket country Testing stage Test Steve Waugh Keegan Petersen David Bedingham Australia South Africa New Zealand India

West Indies cricket team all-rounder Jason Holder expressed his concern regarding the future of Test cricket and said that the current financial model can end up damaging the longest format of the sport. Holder, who is currently part of Dubai Capitals in the ILT20 league, said that the 'big three' controls all the revenue and it is difficult for 'smaller territories' like the West Indies to compete due to the massive financial disparity. The West Indies cricketer added that one way to save Test cricket is to create a specific window for the matches and also introduce an uniform 'minimum wage' for all cricketers.

8 Uncapped Players Named As South Africa Announce Squad For Tests vs New Zealand

Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday named uncapped batter Neil Brand as the skipper for the upcoming red-ball series against New Zealand while also adding seven more uncapped players, including opener Edward Moore to their squad for the red-ball tour next month. The 30-year-old opener is the eighth uncapped player in the 15-member Proteas Test squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand. Moore is a known name in the domestic circuit, having aggregated 7743 runs in 117 first-class matches for Western Province.

"Some Guys Are Disappointed": South Africa Great On Weakened Team For New Zealand Tests

Taking the SA20 to India in future could be "great" despite the logistical challenges such a move may involve, feels former South Africa cricketer Mark Boucher. Like the 2009 edition of the IPL was held in South Africa due to general elections in India, Boucher admitted the SA20 could be organised in the cricket-crazy Asian nation in the near future. "I think it's a great idea; I'm not against it. The IPL happened in South Africa, and we can do the same, as both cricketing nations share a great relationship," Boucher said during a virtual media interaction on Friday.

Saim Ayub shines before New Zealand overpower Pakistan in first T20

Shaheen Afridi's debut as Pakistan's T20 captain did not go according to plan, as New Zealand triumphed by 46 runs in a high-scoring T20 series opener in Auckland on Friday.

"WTC Has Made It Worse For Test Cricket": Ex-England Star's Sensational Claim

Former England Test batter Mark Butcher feels the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) has done more harm than good to the longest format. South Africa recently named a depleted squad for the Test series in New Zealand with their top cricketers contracted to play in the second season of the SA20 as the dates of the two events are clashing. "One of the things that's made this even more inevitable is something that they've done to try to salvage Test match cricket, which is the World Test Championship," Butcher said on the Wisden Cricket Weekly podcast.

New Zealand ready to welcome second-string South Africa

New Zealand Cricket will roll out the red carpet for South Africa for a two-test series next month, the NZC said on Thursday, as debate rages around the quality of the second-string Proteas squad picked for the matches.