Why SA20 Has Forced South Africa To Pick A Weakened Squad To Tour New Zealand

South Africa had the most dominant performance in the Boxing Day Test against India.

The Proteas, unlike the Indian team before them, were competitive in all conditions and had a clear I showed you the results. KL Rahul’s first innings comeback soon came into view as Dean Elgar put on a show in the walk-off series. The quicks were fast and the moves they found were devastating. India lost for 131 in the second innings, losing by an innings.

And how did South Africa respond? By keeping nine of their 11 players out of the upcoming Test tour to New Zealand. The squad consists of seven uncapped players, including captain Neil Brand, who has yet to play an international match. It’s suffice to call this the second string.

However, this is not a selection that will make Darren Pattinson, Shoaib Bashir and others powerless. It’s a choice, but it’s for a reason. Cricket South Africa looked at the World Test Championship record and standings and came to the conclusion that if they did not prioritize the former, they would not be able to compete for long in the latter.

Last year, CSA CEO Foretsi Moseki clarified the situation in an interview with ESPNcricinfo. “We still want bilateral cricket to be our priority, but the reality of a country like ours is that we only make money if we play against India.” Coronavirus In 2019, before the pandemic, we played England and Australia and still lost. Therefore, other options should be considered. ”

He then defended what should be seen as a precursor to this decision, namely South Africa’s loss to Australia in the ODI series. As was the case this time, this greatly reduced his chances in international competition. At that time it was a World Cup qualifier, but this time it is the World Test Championship. And in this case, CSA did so to prioritize SA20, a rival to the new franchise T20. As soon as it became clear that a duel would take place, Moseki revealed which way South Africa would go. “SA20 Proteas players will not travel to New Zealand. That is an instruction from the CSA,” he said. For South African cricket to survive, the SA20 must thrive.

🟢 SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT 🟡

CSA today announced the 14-man squad that will take part in the Proteas’ two-match Test tour of New Zealand next month 🇿🇦🇳🇿#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt < a href=" https: //twitter.com/hashtag/SAvIND?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#SAvIND pic.twitter .com/pLBxCrNvJF

– Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) 30. 2023 年 12 月

This is not the players’ decision. Many of the players remained adamant about their desire to play more friendlies. “I think Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and I think a lot of players, if not everyone in the dressing room, will see that,” Kagiso Rabada said earlier this year.

While this is CSA’s decision, it is not CSA’s fault. They are not the power brokers of world cricket who hoarded the game’s global revenues for themselves and allowed the remaining revenues to dry up. The “Big Three” and the ICC share responsibility for the situation. The fact that all six of his franchises in the SA20 have been taken over by the owner of his team in the Indian Premier League shows who will benefit the most.

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South Africa can still compete against New Zealand, who have never lost a Test series. The rise of Nandre Berger, who overcame injury after injury to hit a 92mph rocket with his left arm on his international debut, is a testament to the resilience of South Africa’s talent pool and the cricketers that have emerged from it. Even if they lose, they still have a chance to advance to the WTC finals. His home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan and his tour away to the West Indies and Bangladesh are the easiest schedule possible.

But this is, as one of our most experienced experts, Ian Bishop, puts it, “another sign that the landscape of the game is changing.” Cricketers dream of playing for their country and governing bodies are tasked with ensuring their success. Currently, governing bodies are preventing cricketers from playing for their countries and damaging their chances, but it’s hard to criticize either of them too harshly. Responsibility lies elsewhere.

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