Aussie great calls for Black Caps to skip Test Series against South Africa

Australian cricket great Steve Waugh has declared South Africa “obviously doesn’t care” about Test cricket after naming a largely inexperienced squad to face the Black Caps next month.

The Proteas have named an uncapped captain in a stripped-down Test squad to face the Black Caps with the two matches clashing with their own domestic Twenty20 competition, leaving most of their regular side unavailable for the tour.

“Is this a defining moment in the death of test cricket?” the former Australian captain wrote on X.

“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.”

Waugh added that the Black Caps shouldn’t play the two tests.

“Obviously they don’t care,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald. “It’s going to happen if the South African Cricket Board are any indication of the future, keeping their best players at home,” he said. “If I was New Zealand, I wouldn’t even play the series. Why would you when it shows a lack of respect for New Zealand cricket?”

“It’s pretty obvious what the problem is,” Waugh said. “West Indies haven’t picked a full-strength side for a couple of years now. Someone like Nicholas Pooran is really a Test batsman but he doesn’t play Test cricket. Jason Holder, who is probably the best West Indies player, doesn’t play Tests now. Even Pakistan didn’t send a full side [for the current series against Australia].

“If the ICC or someone doesn’t step in shortly, then Test cricket doesn’t become Test cricket because you’re not testing yourself against the best players. I understand why players don’t come. They’re not getting paid properly. I don’t understand why the ICC, or the top countries who are making a lot of money, don’t just have a regulation premium set fee for Test matches, so people are incentivised to play Test cricket.

“Otherwise they just play T10 or T20. The public are the ones who are going to suffer because it’s not the full side playing, so it’s not Test cricket.”

The two-test series in February is one of the drawcard events of the New Zealand Cricket home summer schedule as the Black Caps seek to win their first-ever test series over the Proteas.

Uncapped opening batsman Neil Brand has been named captain while the entire bowling attack that led the side to a Boxing Day test win over India this week won’t come to New Zealand. The 14-man squad features seven uncapped players with the most experienced player Duanne Olivier, with 15 tests to his name.

From the current test squad, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Nandre Burger, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi and Keshav Maharaj are missing, while veteran Dean Elgar retires after the current India series.

Only Keegan Petersen, David Bedingham and Zubayr Hamza are currently playing in the India series. 37-year-old spin bowler Shaun von Berg could make his test debut, five and a half years after being named in the squad to face Sri Lanka but didn’t make the starting XI.

The second edition of the SA20 will run from January 11 to February 11 next year, while the tour to New Zealand begins with a warm-up match on January 29. The test series begins with the first test on February 4 at the Bay Oval, with the second test taking place in Hamilton nine days later.

Cricket South Africa released a statement today “noting concerns about the composition of the test squad”.

“We reassure the fans that CSA has the utmost respect for the test format as the pinnacle of the game we love,” the statement said.

“The dates for this tour were set when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027 was finalised 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 two 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.

“We commend Head Coach, Shukri Conrad and hisvstaff for preparing the selected players for this tour, and we are confident that they will represent the Proteas badge with honour. We wish them all the very best. It is an opportunity to demonstrate the depth of talent that we have in South Africa.

“Our schedule for the remainder of the FTP has been managed to ensure that there will not be any further clashes between our bilateral commitments and the SA20.

“CSA remains fully committed to international cricket and to strengthening the SA20, a tournament that was initiated by us to help grow and sustain the game.”

South African cricket commentator Neil Manthorp told The Country Sport Breakfast in August it shows a lack of respect for test cricket.

“It’s crushing. We laugh about the Ashes, which was supposedly signifying the death of test cricket in England, way back in the 1880s. I’m trying desperately hard to see a way that South Africa can get out of this. It is only two test matches but it’s a mess.

“South Africa have test cricketers or first-class cricketers all over the world. There’s a good dozen playing in New Zealand, who have pledged their allegiance to New Zealand. There’s another 20 or so playing county cricket in England who have, who have not been available for South Africa. So they, they can put together a decent team. But it’s the message, it’s the image. It’s the lack of respect for what’s always been the greatest format of the game,” Manthorpe added.

The Black Caps have never won a test series against South Africa home or away.

South Africa Test squad: Neil Brand (capt), David Bedingham, Ruan de Swardt, Clyde Fortuin (wk), Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Mihlali Mpongwana, Duanne Olivier, Dane Paterson, Keegan Petersen, Dane Piedt, Raynard van Tonder, Shaun von Berg, Khaya Zondo.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission