Players must put Proteas before IPL

Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar has called for his star players to put playing for their country ahead of the riches of the IPL.

South Africa are scheduled to play Bangladesh in three ODIs and two Test matches, starting on 18 March.

The IPL starts on 26 March but players will need to report early for the lucrative tournament in order to comply with a three-day quarantine requirement.

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.

Speaking at an arrival press conference following South Africa’s drawn Test series in New Zealand, Elgar revealed that Cricket South Africa had put the onus on the players to reveal whether or not they were keen to go to the IPL.

“It’s a tough one, putting that in the players’ box, but I guess you will see where players’ loyalty lies,” said Elgar.

Elgar said he intended to talk to the individual players.

“They mustn’t forget that Test cricket or one-day cricket got them into the IPL, not the other way around.”

The ODI series against Bangladesh will finish on 23 March, meaning that one-day specialists such as David Miller and Quinton de Kock could play in the series without missing much of the IPL.

But the Test series, part of the World Test Championship, provides a bigger headache. It starts on 31 March and ends on 12 April.

Although the IPL runs until 29 May, playing in the Tests could deprive players of a large amount of income.

Elgar said he hoped to have more clarity in the next week about which players would be available and said he was particularly concerned about the possibility of not having his front-line bowlers available.

“I wish I knew more for my own personal sanity,” said Elgar. “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.”

Elgar said the fact that Bangladesh would be playing in Durban and Gqeberha had already “brought them into the game” because South Africa had a poor record in both cities, including losing both Tests against Sri Lanka in 2018-19.

“You don’t want players to miss out on a big occasion like the IPL,” he said. “But I’d still like to think playing for your country is bigger than that.”

Cricket South Africa have previously shown a willingness to cooperate with the BCCI over the IPL.

Unlike other countries, South Africa did not bring their players back early from the IPL ahead of the 2019 World Cup and they reached a compromise last season when IPL-contracted players were released from the third of three ODIs and a four-match T20I series against Pakistan.

By contrast, CSA refused to allow its contracted players to play in the recent Pakistan Super League, insisting that they stayed in South Africa for a domestic tournament.

Meanwhile, CSA’s director of cricket, former captain Graeme Smith, faces an arbitration hearing from Monday on “tentative findings” of racial prejudice.

The good relationship between Smith and Indian board president Sourav Ganguly has been a factor in India making money-spinning tours of South Africa at a time when CSA has been strapped for cash.

Smith’s contract with CSA expires at the end of March and it is not clear whether he will re-apply for the position.

Smith’s lawyer David Becker said Smith and his advisers had consistently voiced concern about the way hearings into alleged racial discrimination were conducted.

“He is looking forward to demonstrating that these findings are without merit.”

The arbitration hearings will be conducted by two advocates appointed by CSA and Smith’s legal team and their findings will be made public.

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