Mark Boucher Expresses Concerns about South Africa's Test Schedule against New Zealand

After a couple of false starts to set up a franchise-based T20 league in South Africa, the Cricket South Africa (CSA) launched the SA20 - a Twenty20 franchise cricket tournament in 2023. The first edition was a huge success financially and in terms of viewership. The 2024 edition of SA20 spreads for a month starting on 10th January 2024. At the same time, South Africa is scheduled to play two Test matches in New Zealand starting from the 4th of February 2024.

Due to the clash in event dates, the CSA has announced a second-string team to tour New Zealand for the Test series. The priority is to ensure player participation in SA20.
The South Africa Test squad includes seven uncapped players, and it will be captained by Neil Brand, who has not yet made an international appearance. This decision has sparked controversy within the cricketing community, reigniting the debate on preserving Test cricket as a format. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh believes that it also demonstrates a lack of respect for New Zealand cricket.

Mark Boucher, the second most capped Test player from South Africa after Jacques Kallis, and the former head coach of the South Africa cricket team, expressed great disappointment with the scheduling decisions.

Boucher is an ambassador of SA20 and the current head coach of the IPL team Mumbai Indians. Like many other South African greats, Boucher recognizes that the success of the emerging domestic T20 League relies on having a strong group of active local international players. He also believes that the success of SA20 will have long-term positive effects on South African cricket, similar to the impact IPL has had in India. However, Boucher feels that CSA could have scheduled both events in a way that would allow the best players to participate.

Speaking exclusively with SportsBoom.com, Boucher said “I'll be honest with you. I am extremely disappointed. It's got nothing to do with the players. You can't blame the players that have been selected or the players that are not going. I think the scheduling needs to be really looked at by CSA, I don't think it's acceptable.”

Boucher questions the CSA for what he sees as unacceptable scheduling, especially comparing it to the prioritization of Test cricket by other major cricketing nations. Boucher suggests that CSA needs to re-evaluate its scheduling practices.

Considering that the SA20 has a specific window in the first week of January and is running for the second year, the CSA could have discussed with New Zealand Cricket earlier to explore the possibility of scheduling the Test series in a different timeframe. Boucher expected CSA to ensure that the two best teams from each country are playing against each other in the Test series.

“If I was New Zealand cricket, I'd be quite disappointed. I understand them not wanting to pull out as well because the World Test Championship points are at stake. But I do think that we in South Africa need to sit down, have a hard look at ourselves at the scheduling and find a way to make it right”, said Boucher.

While acknowledging the financial benefits of the SA20 league that will help the South Africa board and cricket in the long run, Boucher stressed on the need for a balance that doesn't compromise the Test series against formidable teams like New Zealand.

“SA20 is good for the public watching. It is very well supported, but we can't have that in place of Test series against a very, very strong New Zealand team away from home. So as a former player, and I know I'm not alone, there're probably a lot of guys who would probably speak about it as passionately as me as well”, emphasized Boucher.

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has not made any official statement regarding South Africa's decision to send a second-string team for the Test series in 2024. South Africa coach Shukri Conrad has defended the decision, stating that the domestic SA20 competition is crucial for the financial stability of Cricket South Africa.

While the former South Africa and current Mumbai Indians’ coach acknowledged the financial benefits of T20 leagues, he expressed concerns about their impact on Test cricket and the sustainability of all three international formats.