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In recent times, Cricket South Africa has been catching headlines. From SA20, an uncapped Test team to canceling the central contract, the cricket board has created a buzz. Kagiso Rabada has expressed concerns about the scheduling conflicts between South Africa’s under-20 cricket commitments and other tours. He believes it’s still unacceptable that players might miss out on Test tours due to their SA20 commitments.
Kagiso Rabada on the Young Test Team Against New Zealand:
Still nursing the wounds from the scheduling debacle that sidelined him and other seasoned players from a two-Test series against New Zealand earlier this year, South African pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada laments the lack of consultation in the “unacceptable” mix-up. The absence of core players left room for as many as seven debutants to be included in the series, part of the World Test Championship, while the mainstays were engaged in the SA20 league back home. Neil Brand, leading the team in New Zealand, debuted in the opening match at Mount Maunganui, contributing to the hosts’ expected 2-0 series victory.
Reflecting on this controversial incident, Rabada expresses hope that such distressing moments won’t recur for players in the future. The episode underscores the need for better coordination and communication between cricket boards to ensure that players aren’t inadvertently sidelined due to scheduling conflicts, ensuring a fair and balanced representation of teams in crucial Test matches.
Rabada said, “It was very very unacceptable and remains unacceptable to date. It was obviously a planning issue. It is unacceptable, that is all I would say about that.”
Later he added, “If I can go back on that point it is not fair to go at the players. It is not fair to say that players are being picked and they got free Test caps. I don’t think it is fair to put that criticism on the players. They simply got asked to go there, and at the end of the day they are not going to say no.”
View on the Schedule Clash:
SA20’s Schedule Clash with the Test Tour. Because of the clash of schedules between this SA20 and the Test series against New Zealand. Rabada talked about this. He said, “That is a planning issue and it has got to do with what is happening at the higher level; what happened with Cricket South Africa. It was basically a double book, that was what it was.” The presence of star South Africa players was important for the success of the young SA20 league and as a result, Test cricket became the casualty.”
Later he added, “End of the day, we didn’t really get a choice to even go there [New Zealand] because of the importance of the SA20. It is like shooting yourself in the foot
On Test Cricket:
Test Cricket is one of the oldest and richest forms of cricket. But in competition with the shortest format, Test cricket is surviving somewhere. Kagiso Rabada glorified Test cricket and said, “Cricket comes from Test cricket and Test from my perspective is the best format. I would imagine all great players who play all formats would say Test cricket is their favourite format. It is the same for me as well.”
Currently, India, England, and Australia engage in the highest number of red-ball matches within a WTC cycle. This includes competing in five-match Test series against one another, showcasing their prowess and competitiveness in the cricketing arena. Kagiso Rabada said, “When it comes to countries excluding India, England and Australia, it is quite unfortunate. The way that I see it, to become a powerful cricket nation without the advantage of currency and advantage of TV rights, it is about playing good cricket.”
Later he added, “The better you play, the more teams want to play with you. It is very hard to argue against why those nations would want to play with each other because at the end of the day, it is about sustaining the business of cricket which is to make revenue and that is how the game stays alive.”
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