Test series in New Zealand. South Africa's uncapped player Niel Brand will lead the team against the mighty Kiwis. The squad has only three players from the current team playing against India- Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham, and Zubayr Hamza.
The top players of South Africa will remain engaged in the second season of SA20, Cricket South Africa's domestic tournament, and then IPL 2024. The domestic tournaments don't allow the players to be available for the Test format of the game. "Is this a defining moment in the death of test cricket? Surely the ICC along with the cricket boards of India, England, and Australia must step in to protect the purest form of the game.
A premium, equal match fee for all test players might be a good starting point History and tradition must count for something. If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria the legacy of Bradman, Grace, and Sobers will be irrelevant," Steve Waugh said on Instagram.A post shared by Steve Waugh (@stevewaugh) The Test vs T20 cricket issue has been brewing up for some time now with veteran players raising concerns about the fading interest in the Test format. The International Cricket Council (ICC) and domestic cricket boards of the countries are not looking very enthusiastic about Test cricket.
The South African cricket administration has expressed confidence in their Test squad for New Zealand squad with coach Shukri Conrad saying that the team is confident for the Test matches. "The players selected for this tour have every chance of challenging New Zealand," the coach said. Australia skipper Pat Cummins accepted that he sometimes worries about the future of the Test format of the game but doesn't think that it is in a dramatic decline.
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