Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris pull out of 3TC match in Centurion

Kagiso Rabada and Sisanda Magala are set to miss the 3TC exhibition match in Centurion because of death of immediate family members. The game is set to be played on July 18 at the SuperSport Park after being postponed from June 27 after Cricket South Africa (CSA) couldn’t get the government’s permission to play. On June 29, the players’ training and playing protocols were approved.

In Rabada’s absence, Heinrich Klaasen will lead the Kingfishers. Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers are the skippers of the other two teams. Fast bowler Chris Morris also won’t be a part of the encounter, though the reasons for the same are unknown. Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin and Thando Ntini, son of former pacer Makhaya Ntini, have been called upon as replacements.

In England’s opening Test against the West Indies, the players supported the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, participating in an on-field show. Graeme Smith, the CSA Director of Cricket, was also asked if CSA would adopt something similar during the exhibition game. Replying to it, Smith said that they would like to, but need to decide on a way to show the support.

Cricket returns to South Africa

“CSA and its Affiliate Members affirm their commitment to a process of transformation based on the principle of broad-based empowerment and affirmative action that will continue to increase the number of people involved in the game; increase accessibility to all participants and participant groupings; and consistently improve performances,” a CSA statement read.

“CSA continues to focus on the transformation of the sport at every level, and invested nearly R385 million in cricket transformation and development in the 2019/2020 financial year, and met its transformation targets at the development level in the 2019/2020 season.

“CSA’s intention is to continue to invest resources in transformation as they did in the past and measure impact with incentives and consequences,” the statement added.

South Africa is still under lockdown and the number of COVID-19 cases have increased over the time period. Gauteng Province, the location of the SuperSport Park, is the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, the match will be played behind closed doors. The fixture aims to raise funds for CSA’s Hardship Funds.