Cricket South Africa have defended their decision to send an nexperienced side on the tour of New Zealand claiming that the decision was taken because of both the team’s being unable to agree on alternative dates for the Test series.
South Africa have announced the squad for the New Zealand tour which consists of only 7 capped players, with chances given to upcoming talents.
“We reassure the fans that CSA has the utmost respect for the Test format as the pinnacle of the game we love.” the cricket board said in a statement.
CSA BOARD STATEMENT ON SA SQUAD FOR THE NEW ZEALAND TOUR 🇿🇦🇳🇿
Cricket South Africa 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… pic.twitter.com/bdUmMmf0qY
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) January 2, 2024
The announcement received a lot of criticism from fans and pundits, including former Australian skipper Steve Waugh who took to his social media account and wrote “If I was New Zealand I wouldn’t even play the series.”
“Once it became apparent that there would be a clash, we made every effort to find another mutually suitable time slot for the two-Test series in consultation with New Zealand Cricket. Regrettably the constraints imposed by the global cricket calendar rendered this impossible.”
South Africa are currently playing a 2-match Test series against Team India and have a 1-0 lead in the home series. The Proteas will take on New Zealand in a 2-match Test series starting on February 4.
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