In wake of their widespread criticism for naming a Test squad not featuring any of their first choice players for the New Zealand tour next month, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has finally responded citing the crowded global cricket calendar as the reason.
South Africa announced a 14-man squad for their two-match Test series in New Zealand slated to be held in February with as many as seven uncapped players including Neil Brand who has also been named as the captain.
Also Read: Williamson to Lead New Zealand in T20I Series vs Pakistan
All first-choice Test stars will be playing in South Africa’s domestic T20 competition SA20 starting January 10.
The likes of Steve Waugh, Venkatesh Prasad among others feared for the future of Test cricket following the CSA announcement.
“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 time-slot for this 2 Test series in consultation with New Zealand Cricket,” CSA said in a statement on Tuesday.
“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,” it added.
The New Zealand tour is part of the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.
Here’s the full text of CSA statement
The Board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) notes the concerns about the composition of the Test squad that will be travelling to New Zealand later this month.
We reassure the fans that CSA has the utmost respect for the Test format as the pinnacle of the game we love.
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 time-slot for this 2 Test 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.
We commend Head Coach, Shukri Conrad and his staff for preparing the selected players for this tour, and we are confident that they will represent the Proteas badge with honour. We wish them all the very best. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of talent that we have in South Africa.
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.
CSA remains fully committed to international cricket and to strengthening the SA20, a tournament that was initiated by us to help grow and sustain the game.
Comments
0 comment