THE topic of franchise T20 competitions having a negative impact on the longer format of the game has been discussed at length.
And the chickens have finally come home to roost for South Africa, as only half of the squad will land in the Caribbean today for the two-match Test series, with the other half scattered all around the world.
Kagiso Rabada, Nandré Burger, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Lungi Ngidi and Dane Piedt were not a part of the Proteas’ preparations for the Windies tour, as some were on T20 duty in the US and the UK.
Not having the full squad preparing for a series has its repercussions, but in South Africa’s case, the repercussions are amplified by the very little cricket that they have been scheduled to play by the International Cricket Council as compared to the amount of Tests that the big three – India, England and Australia – encounter in the same cycle.
The last time South Africa donned their whites was in January at Newlands during the India series.
This means that captain Temba Bavuma and his team will have to start from scratch once again, look to remind themselves what Test cricket is about and shake off whatever rust and stiffness there may be, as some of them last played competitive cricket in April.
In a pre-departure media conference in Johannesburg yesterday, Bavuma admitted that made things more difficult for SA – albeit not unique to them.
“It is a challenge,” Bavuma admitted. “It’s a challenge that’s not unique to us. It’s something that all the smaller teams outside the big three face. It feels like we are starting over again and again as a team.
Focused and Determined 🏏🚀
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) July 24, 2024
Ready to charge forward, Temba Bavuma steps onto the nets in preparation for the crucial Proteas vs. West Indies test series. 🏏🇿🇦#WozaNawe #BePartOfIt #SAvWI pic.twitter.com/bueo4Or1U1
“We had the camp last week without all the guys there available. You can hear in terms of the conversation (that) there’s a lot of reminding ourselves of our philosophy, how we want to play and basically what our blueprint to winning is.
“When we meet up again on the 26th or the 27th (this week), when everyone will be there, those first couple of days will be very important in terms of aligning ourselves again – speaking to what our values are for our culture and creating an environment which allows guys to perform.”
Though admitting to it being a challenge, Bavuma emphasised that they still need to make the most of the situation at hand instead of using it as an excuse for bad performances.
Bavuma’s team do not have a choice but to adopt this mentality, given that they sit seventh on a World Test Championship (WTC) table made up of nine teams.
The Proteas only have eight Test matches left in the cycle to try make the top two spots in the standings and qualify for next year’s WTC final.
“We just have to make it work with what we have. We don’t use it as an excuse,” Bavuma said.
“There’s definitely a lot of excitement from the guys in the fact that we’ll be putting on our white clothing and chasing after the red ball again.
“That excitement, we’d like to focus on that more than all the other uncontrollables.”
In the Proteas batting unit, only Bavuma has played 50 Tests and more, with the majority of the batters having just recently been introduced to international cricket.
Bavuma said that the Windies series will offer the younger players an opportunity to establish themselves in Test cricket.
“Looking at the inexperience and the new faces that we find within the team, it will be a good test for the team and even those younger guys to stamp their authority on international cricket,” he said.
“We’ll prepare as best as we can against the West Indies, make sure we leave no page unturned. We’re prepared to play our best cricket, and we know that if we do that the result will take care of itself.”
The Proteas will play a four-day warm-up match on July 31, before the first Test gets under way on August 7.
Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee was ruled out of the trip due to a left side strain, and has been replaced by Migael Pretorius.
Proteas Test Squad
Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Matthew Breetzke, Nandré Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Tristan Stubbs, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne, Migael Pretorius.