Cricket South Africa (CSA) has reiterated its policy of supporting Test matches being played over four days instead of five.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has reiterated its policy of supporting Test matches being played over four days instead of five.
The governing body released a statement yesterday morning in response to a story in the Daily Mail newspaper in the UK, which stated that CSA would be against an International Cricket Council (ICC) proposal to make four-day Tests mandatory from 2023.
The article stated that England and Australia would face opposition from CSA if they formally endorsed the proposal, which would be discussed by the ICC Cricket Committee this year.
The report went on to say that CSA felt that four-day Tests “would make draws more likely, encourage negative tactics and pose a threat to spin bowlers. South Africa also play fewer Tests than England, so have less need to create space in the calendar.”
But Cricket SA denied the story yesterday, saying in a brief statement: “In view of an unsourced and misleading report in the Media this morning please be advised that it is Cricket South Africa’s official policy to support four-day Test match cricket.
“We, in fact, hosted the first official four-day Test match between ourselves and Zimbabwe a couple of years ago.”
That match, a day-night encounter in December 2017 at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth, last just two days, with the Proteas winning by an innings and 120 runs.
Aiden Markram scored 125, while Morné Morkel and Keshav Maharaj claimed five-wicket hauls.
