CEO Pholetsi Moseki has confirmed that Cricket South Africa will prioritise T20 over Test cricket.
The Proteas will play just 28 Tests in the new Future Tours Programme schedule from 2023 to 2027, compared to England’s 43, Australia’s 40 and India’s 38.
South Africa will also not play a three-match Test series until December 2026, against England.
While it may appear as if CSA were bullied into accepting the schedule, Moseki told Daily Maverick 168 newspaper this was not the case.
“We have a clear strategy about what our needs are. The ICC paired teams together in the schedule, but the number of games was determined by the two countries involved.
“So, you might say the schedule is ‘light’, but it was intentional on our side. Remember, we needed to make space for our new T20 competition in January and early February.
“Those dates are now ringfenced in the calendar and that has had an impact. International cricket doesn’t stop for our internal competitions, but we had to carve out space. We have chosen to have fewer Test matches.”
