After terming it as a loyalty test, South African Test skipper Dean Elgar has opted to look at the case of his team’s IPL-bound stars missing the Bangladesh series at home from a position of greater understanding and pragmatism. Elgar said Kagiso Rabada (Punjab Kings) and company were put in a bit of a spot after CSA chose to leave the onus on their players to finalise their next assignment.
Rabada, alongside other first-choice Test pacers Anrich Nortje (Delhi Capitals), Lungi Ngidi (DC) and Marco Jansen (Sunrisers Hyderabad), all decided to move to India for the 2022 edition of the Premier League, the initial couple of weeks of which overlaps with the two-Test series against Bangladesh, part of the World Test Championship 2021-23.
Their decision left South African selectors, Elgar and the management to work with the next best set of pacers for the Test matches in Durban and Port Elizabeth, starting March 31. Elgar would obviously have been dismayed at the time. But the captain now says he has reached a point of a deeper understanding of the issue after a proper conversation with the players.
“I’m sure they wouldn’t have made a rash decision if it didn’t mean a hell of a lot to them. I’ve had conversations with players and I know where they stand with regards to the Test side and playing Test cricket,”
the skipper was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo ahead of the first Test.
“I think they were put in a situation that was unavoidable, bearing in mind that quite a few of the guys have never had IPL experience before. I don’t think they wanted to hurt their opportunity going forward in the competition.”
The “unavoidable” situation that Elgar referred to came about due to CSA’s rare scheduling of the matches in the back leg of the home season that coincide with the IPL. Cricket South Africa, mindful of keeping healthy relations with the BCCI, have largely avoided arranging matches at this time of the year.
This was also the reason why CSA chose not to instruct their players on what next assignment they shall prioritise. The board has had an MOU signed with the country’s cricketers’ association with regards to the IPL, for which CSA makes provision of leave for seven weeks. No other domestic league has such a provision in CSA’s contracts and employment scheme with the players.
