Steve Waugh Wants ICC, India To Step In As South Africa, Other Teams Ignore Test Format
Former skipper of Australia Steve Waugh has slammed the International Cricket Council and top cricket boards, including the BCCI, for not caring about Test cricket after South Africa named a depleted red-ball squad for the tour of New Zealand, prioritizing its T20 league over the longest format.
According to a CSA ruling, no player contracted to SA20 franchises is eligible for selection for the Tests.
Waugh said, "Obviously, they don't care. It's going to happen if the South African cricket board is any indication of the future, keeping their best players at home.”
Initially, Waugh took to Instagram to raise his concern: "If I were New Zealand, I wouldn't even play the series. I don't know why they're even playing. Why would you when it shows a lack of respect for New Zealand cricket?"
"Is this a defining moment in the death of Test cricket? Surely the ICC, along with the cricket boards of India, England, and Australia, must step in to protect the purest form of the game.
He wrote, “History and tradition must count for something. If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria, the legacy of Sir Don Bradman, W Grace, and Sir Garfield Sobers will be irrelevant.”