SA20 auction decimates Shukri's already thin Test cricket stocks for Proteas tour to NZ

Wednesday evening's admittedly low-key SA20 "mini auction" - which only required 28 slots across the six franchises to be filled for this season's edition - dealt another significant blow to Proteas Test coach Shukri Conrad's available resources for next year's controversial red-ball tour of New Zealand.

The trip to the country, a two-Test engagement with the Black Caps, has (at least to date) been a dampener on the second campaign of CSA's glitzy and encouragingly successful T20 league because the two events overlap.

With the local governing body decreeing that the SA20 enjoys preference in its fenced-off window, no player of national interest contracted to a franchise will be released for Conrad to utilise.

The 56-year-old, known for being frank and forthright, has understandably expressed his frustration on various occasions because he virtually has no first-choice player at his disposal.

CSA previously confirmed to News24 that it had tried to engage with its New Zealand counterpart on finding an alternative window for the series - which was agreed on for the February 2024 date when the latest future tours programme (FTP) was ratified - but a congested playing calendar meant a compromise wasn't possible.

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News24 understands that Conrad has engaged with CSA at various stages to at least have the alternative players he identified ring-fenced before the tour.

Instead, the auction yanked several viable options - and possibly even shoo-ins - out of the reckoning.

Western Province skipper Kyle Verreynne, undoubtedly a key cog in Conrad's machine beforehand given how well he performed in Australia last season, was snapped up by Pretoria