Dean Elgar says players will “suffer” because of the clash between South Africa’s two-Test tour of New Zealand and the second edition of the SA20.
The first Test between the Black Caps and Proteas is scheduled to start on 4 February at Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, with the second from 13 February at Seddon Park in Hamilton.
The Proteas will also play a three-day warm-up match from 29-31 January in Christchurch.
The tour will coincide with the SA20 league, which is set to begin in the second week of January and run until mid-February.
“The SA20 for us is non-negotiable,” CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki told TimesLive after the Proteas’ tour fixtures were announced. “However we also understand the obligations we have in terms of the FTP [ICC’s Future Tours Programme].
“We know there will be a clash, but only once we know how many of the contracted players will be picked up in the [SA20] auction will we be able to get a clearer picture of what the [Proteas] squad could look like.”
Elgar, who would probably captain a weakened Proteas’ Test team to New Zealand if he again isn’t signed by an SA20 franchise, expressed his disappointment to City Press newspaper.
“It’s tough to take. It shows what the narrative is when it comes to Test cricket and again it’s the players who suffer. A high percentage of the players still really want to play Test cricket and it’s just extremely sad and clarifies a lot of things when it comes to how Test cricket is viewed by the authorities.
“We can’t butter our bread on both sides here. It’s lekker to have the franchise T20 competition, but what’s the bigger picture?
“How would New Zealand Cricket, with whom we probably have the strongest relationship of all countries, view us sending a ‘C’ side over there? That could cause a breakdown in the relationship.”
