Last week, South Africa announced a depleted 14-member Test squad for their upcoming tour of New Zealand. The squad features as many as seven uncapped players, leading to a massive outrage in the cricket fraternity.
South Africa’s decision to name a second-string squad came as the New Zealand series clashes with the SA20 competition, where most of the contracted Proteas players will play.
On Tuesday (January 2), India skipper Rohit Sharma reacted to South Africa naming an inexperienced squad for the New Zealand tour, insisting that the best players should be playing the Test format as it is the ultimate challenge in the sport.
Rohit’s comment came on the eve of India’s second Test against South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town.
“Honestly, for me Test cricket is the ultimate challenge and you would want to see the best players playing in that format. Everyone has their own problems to deal with. I am pretty sure there is a reason behind it I don't know what the reason is. Definitely, Test cricket is something where you want to see the best cricket being played, best and top players being available," said Rohit while speaking in a pre-match press conference.
"I don't know what the internal talks or what the discussions are in Cricket South Africa. But in my perspective a lot of thought should be given to Test cricket because it is the ultimate challenge you face in this sport and we want to be challenged every day,” he added.
Meanwhile, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has acknowledged the concerns raised regarding the Proteas Test squad announced for the two-Test tour of New Zealand.
“The Board of Cricket South Africa (CSA) notes the concerns about the composition of the Test squad that will be traveling 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,” CSA’s statement read.
“The dates for this tour were set when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027 was finalized 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,” the statement added.
South Africa Test squad for New Zealand tour: Neil Brand (captain), David Bedingham, Ruan de Swardt, Clyde Fortuin, Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana, Duanne Olivier, Dane Paterson, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Raynard van Tonder, Shaun von Berg, and Khaya Zondo.
