South African Test skipper Dean Elgar drew a boundary for himself which could be very beneficial for the South African team but not so good for the IPL franchise he will play for. Elgar on Friday asked his start players to play for the country ahead of IPL. It’s time for Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortze, Marco Jansen and others to choose between the two but Dean Elgar has already made up his mind.
The South African team is set to play against Bangladesh in three one-day internationals and two Test matches starting from March 18.
- South Africa will give their players a choice of whether to play for the upcoming IPL or stay in the country and play against Bangladesh.
- The ODIs will take place on March 18, 20 and 23 while the Tests are going to start on March 31 and end on April 12.
- The IPL starts on March 26 and will run until May 29 with
- Players will be in a 3 day quarantine before being allowed to enter IPL Bubble.
The IPL will start from March 26 but players have to report prior due to their quarantine stage.
Eleven South African players are due to play in the IPL, including the country’s four leading fast bowlers – Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi and Marco Jansen, as well as Test batsmen Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen.
“It’s a tough one, putting that in the players’ box, but I guess you will see where players’ loyalty lies,” said Elgar.
Elgar still desires to take the preference of individual players.
“They mustn’t forget that Test cricket or one-day cricket got them into the IPL, not the other way around.”
The one-day series against Bangladesh will wrap up on March 23, cricketers such as David Miller and Quinton de Kock could play in the series without missing much of the IPL. The Test series starts on March 31 and ends on April 12.
“I wish I knew more for my own personal sanity,” “If I don’t have everyone at my disposal then it’s a little bit difficult. It’s a tough one for me. I can’t take the field without my best side.”– said Elgar
It’s like a challenge for the South African team to play against Bangladesh in Durban and Gqebrha since the team had a poor performance in these cities.
Cricket South Africa have previously shown a willingness to cooperate with the Board of Control for Cricket in India over the IPL.CSA refused to allow their contracted players to play in the recent Pakistan Super League, insisting that they should stay in South Africa for a domestic tournament. CSA’s director of cricket, former captain Graeme Smith, faces an arbitration hearing from Monday on “tentative findings” of racial prejudice. Smith’s contract with CSA expires at the end of March and there’s no guarantee if he’s going to reapply for the position.
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