Indian captain Rohit Sharma’s response to a question about Cricket South Africa prioritizing SA20 over Test Series against New Zealand next month has thrown up a controversy. Cricket South Africa issued a statement soon after, claiming they have utmost respect for Test cricket. The statement further explains that the board tried to arrange the New Zealand series at a different timeslot.
Rohit Sharma expressed doubts about Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) decision to field an under-strength squad for the three-test series against New Zealand beginning next month, with the country’s top players preferring the shorter formats of the SA20 League.
“For me, Test remains ultimate challenge and we would like to see best players playing that format but everyone has own problems to deal with and make sure there is a reason behind it,” Rohit said in the press conference ahead of the IND vs SA 2nd Test.
“I don’t know what the reason is (for SA not picking senior players) and in Test cricket you want to see best players being available but like I said I don’t know what internal discussions are in CSA but from my perspective, the priority should be given to Test cricket. It’s a challenge that you face everyday,” he added.
However, Cricket South Africa has now issued a response explaining why it has decided to field a weaker side against the Black Caps.
“CSA has utmost respect for Test cricket as the pinnacle of the game. We tried to arrange the series in another timeslot, but due to the tight calendar it was impossible,” CSA’s statement said.
“Our schedule for the remainder of the FTP has been managed to ensure that there will not be any further clashes between our bilateral commitments and the SA20,” the statement added.
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