'Extremely disappointed' - Mark Boucher calls CSA out for poor scheduling of SA20 and Proteas' games
Former Proteas keeper-batter Mark Boucher expressed disappointment with Cricket South Africa's scheduling of SA20, forcing the best players to participate in it at the expense of the Test series in New Zealand. The 47-year-old admitted that the players are not to be blamed for this situation.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) named a rookie-heavy squad for the two-Test series against New Zealand next month, starting on February 4th at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui. The 14-man squad has only 7 capped players, with an uncapped Neil Brand to lead them. Duanne Olivier remains the most experienced player with 15 Test appearances.
Speaking to SportsBoom.com, Boucher said it's unacceptable for CSA to treat Test cricket this way:
"I’ll be honest with you. I am extremely disappointed [with the situation]. It’s got nothing to do with the players. You can’t blame the players who have been selected or the players who are not going. I think the scheduling needs to be really looked at by CSA, I don’t think it’s acceptable."
The East London-born former cricketer stressed that South Africa couldn't have afforded this as the WTC points are also at stake and elaborated:
"If I was New Zealand Cricket, I’d be quite disappointed. I understand them not wanting to pull out because the World Test Championship points are at stake. But I do think that we in South Africa need to sit down, have a hard look at ourselves at the scheduling and find a way to make it right.”
South Africa are currently third in the WTC points table, with 50% points. They won by an innings in Centurion against India, followed by a crushing eight-wicket loss within two days in Cape Town.
"I know I’m not alone" - Mark Boucher
Boucher further said that Test cricket is indispensable and that a T20 tournament should never get weightage over it. He said (via SportsBoom.com):
"The SA20 is good for the public watching. It is very well supported, but we can’t have that in place of a Test series against a very, very strong New Zealand team away from home. So as a former player, and I know I’m not alone, there’re probably a lot of guys who would speak about it as passionately as me."
The last time South Africa toured New Zealand, the series ended in a 1-1 draw.