Boxing Day Test match unlikely but 12 international matches a surety: Haroon Lorgat

India’s tour of South Africa is still not certain. The probability of having a Boxing Day Test match is very low, as India will be facing other opponents on their home turf around the same time. In all likelihood, the New year’s Test at the Newlands will be the first Test of the series. The CEO of Cricket South Africa Harron Lorgat has said that it will be a full tour and there won’t be any cut to the schedule.

If all goes well then India will play the Proteas in 4 Test matches, 5 ODIs and a series of 3 -T20I matches. The tour will approximately be an 8-week affair. The commitment with Sri Lanka will finish around 23, and therefore the players are expected to rest for a couple of days before getting on with the African Safari

Shifting focus to Africa

Lorgat told Sport 24 that there is no clash with the administrators and it is not the first time that there have been issues in finalising the tour with BCCI. “No, it’s not that … look, this is not the first or second time only that there have been issues with setting out or confirming fixtures with BCCI,” he said.

“Some of it one can understand – even if we don’t necessarily agree with it because we shouldn’t be running business in that fashion – but look at the various challenges they’ve got: it’s not something that is top priority for them.“What has complicated their lives is Sri Lanka being brought into their roster which finishes very late in December. They only confirmed that a week or two ago, and now they are turning their attention to our fixtures,” the CEO added.

No Boxing Day Test

“They have indicated that they can’t do a Boxing Day Test because their last game against Sri Lanka finishes somewhere between December 20 and 23. Then they want a couple of days at home for their players – because they are coming for an eight-week tour. “It’s very difficult to have your players end a series today and be on a plane tomorrow, as it were.”But are CSA still fighting our corner spiritedly for preservation of the New Year Test in as orthodox a starting frame as possible.” Lorgat added.