Pensive Elgar provides no comfort for Proteas' Test future: 'Lots of things not in our favour'

As the Proteas stare the very real possibility of a Test series whitewash against Australia squarely in the face, skipper Dean Elgar hasn't exactly provided much comfort for the future either.

South Africa might still be in the picture for a place in the final of the ICC's World Test Championship - especially if they can save face at the SCG starting on Wednesday and defeat the West Indies at home in February-March - though such rosy thoughts are overshadowed by searching questions over national side's future ability to still be a decent Test team.

Apart from the cracks exposed Down Under, Cricket South Africa (CSA) have clearly shifted their focus to the T20 format, and next week's start of the SA20, in a bid to somehow rescue its decimated finances and, as a consequence, drastically cut the Proteas' assignments in the five-day format.

Furthermore, a weekend report quoted Andrew Breetzke, the South African Cricketers' Association chief, stating that local players are at their wits' end over the suspect state of domestic cricket, especially the sheer lack of fixtures.

The organisation has launched a self-driven investigation it wants to present to CSA, who themselves have mandated director of cricket Enoch Nkwe to present an action plan.

For now, Elgar and his teammates have to contend playing and growing in a format that's - with some degree of justification to also be fair - not a priority for the local governing body.

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"I think it's a big year for us every year honestly. I don't think a lot of things are going in our favour. We have got to deal with what we can deal with," the feisty opener said on Tuesday ahead of the Sydney