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Former South Africa skipper Graeme Smith backed SA20 after they received a lot of backlash for prioritising the league over Test cricket. It all happened after South Africa sent a second-string team for a two-match Test series against New Zealand, beginning on February 4. The cricketing board CSA received a lot of criticism for keeping SA20 as their priority, after which they had to release a statement focusing on the financial standpoint.
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However, Smith believes that both SA20 and Test cricket can co-exist. Smith was quoted by Sportstar as saying, “SA20 is (for) four weeks a year which we operate on and obviously, one or two challenges happen and that’s not ideal. That should get better and better every season.” He emphasised that the CSA has a total share of 51% in the league, and broadcast money is important for the board.
Smith added, “South African cricket has made a commitment that SA20 is a big part of its future and gives it the best chance to succeed. I believe it’s just four weeks a year and there would be a lot of chance to play Test cricket.” He said that SA20 will only make South Africa’s T20 team stronger. The 42-year-old added, “SA20 is a bridge between where our domestic cricket is and our international format currently is. Putting our players exposed to pressure which they can only get in international cricket with full house, that bridge that keeps our SA national team stronger.”
Test cricket will be limited to six-seven nations: Graeme Smith
The former Proteas’ skipper said that Test cricket will be played in six-seven nations only and is unlikely to expand beyond these countries. Smith said, “Test cricket is something that I will always love. I appreciate the format and the contest it presents. When I reflect on what we achieved as a team during my time and my record, I would love to see it preserved, but it’s never going to be more than a six or seven-nation format. When I was a part of the last MCC Cricket Committee, we had agreed that we needed measures to protect Test cricket.”
