Cricket South Africa (CSA) seeks financial compensation from Cricket Australia (CA); files an official complaint with the ICC

So, the much-awaited Australia’s tour of South Africa has been indefinitely postponed. If the tour had taken place as planned, it would have formed a part of the inaugural edition of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC). But now, with the tour postponed, Cricket South Africa (CSA) is not happy with the decision taken by Cricket Australia (CA).

Cricket Australia(CA) had stated that an ‘unacceptable level’ of Covid 19 cases was the reason behind the tour being postponed. ESPNCricinfo has reported that CSA had even written a letter to the International Cricket Council(ICC). In the letter, acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki has sought financial compensation from CA regarding the indefinite postponement of the tour. Also, the FTP and the WTC agreement terms have also been invoked.

The series cannot be rescheduled before April 30th, 2021, which is the official end of the WTC window. CSA has also asked the ICC to officially obtain a health report to determine the level of Covid 19 risks in the country.

The ICC’s FTP Agreement

Now, let us look at what the ICC’s FTP agreement says. The agreement has been in use since 2004 and says that all the member countries of the ICC will have to fulfill all their fixtures, unless there are unavoidable circumstances that prevent them.

Also, Australia have been in a similar situation before as well. In the year 2007, the kangaroos refused to tour Zimbabwe because of political issues, and the same was deemed to be acceptable. CA has also stated that it had based its decision not to travel to South Africa on “overwhelming” medical advice.

In fact, Moseki wrote a letter stating that if an expert consultant outside of South Africa is appointed to gauge the situation in the country, he would not be able to accurately and properly comprehend the prevailing situation in South Africa. He also stated that due to the nature of the pandemic, the best solution is to seek location specific advice.

“It would seem inappropriate to appoint a health and safety consultant outside of South Africa given that such an expert consultant would be unlikely to properly and accurately comprehend the Covid-19 related risks within South Africa and how they may be adequately managed. Given the nature of the pandemic, it will inevitably require location-specific advice,” concluded Moseki.

It remains to be seen if any action will be taken against Cricket Australia (CA).