CSA infuriated with India not confirming Test dates yet

The Men in Blue are currently enjoying the time in Sri Lanka. After finishing the Lankan demolition, they will take on the baggy greens and then the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has also scheduled a return series against the Lankans. Amidst all the tight scheduling, it appears as if BCCI has completely forgotten about the South African series, which has infuriated the Cricket South Africa (CSA).

India were expected to take on the Proteas on December 26 for the Boxing Day Test. They were expected to spend their New Year’s eve in South Africa, but the BCCI has announced that the return series against the Lankans might go on until mid-December. With such a complex scenario, CSA has no idea about when the series will be scheduled and wants their Indian counterparts to act on it as soon as they are able to.

“Obviously it is frustrating and it is a matter we need to engage. It is an issue that we need to put finality to because the issue of scheduling and putting schedules together comes naturally. We’ve agreed on content and the issue is now how do we fit in that content,” said CSA president Chris Nenzani.

“It’s a very frustrating experience but we’re always hopeful that we can find something workable. If you don’t have a centrally controlled Future Tours Programme‚ these issues are going to come up. But if the International Cricket Council promotes test cricket‚ you have to give everybody a fair chance and also their place in the sun,” he further added.

If not Boxing Day, a New Year’s Test might take place

CSA has incurred huge financial losses in the 2016-17 financial year and hence wants to minimise its effect with the home series against Australia and India. CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said that the Boxing Day Test is not a possibility anymore with India’s return series against Sri Lanka, but a New Year’s Test can be organised.

“There will be a New Year’s test but it’s the starting date that is the issue. That’s what the board is currently discussing at the moment. We want to go back to India and try to appeal to them to respect the start date that we would like. Let us engage with them and let’s see how they respond but this is something that we believe is important is to retain the test match starting date‚ especially in the view of the current climate where we want to promote test cricket,” said Lorgat.

“We should have had finality a while back because we want to have the dates announced and want to get the promotion out of the way. It is the Freedom Trophy that we’re talking about and how many people actually know about the Mandela-Gandhi series. There’s lots that should have been done by now but this is the reality of the pressures of the calendar. The content is not an issue‚ it’s just about getting the dates locked in to schedule the content,” he concluded.