Johannesburg — Cricket South Africa’s new permanently appointed CEO, Pholetsi Moseki said he has sympathy for those players who have to choose between playing for the country or taking up lucrative contracts at the Indian Premier League.
Cricket SA was still awaiting confirmation from the selectors about who will be in the Proteas Test squad for the series against Bangladesh that starts on March 31. The selectors were due to meet Wednesday night, with finality about the squad expected on Thursday morning.
Five players, who’ve been regulars for the Proteas in Tests this summer were selected at the IPL auction in February. Speaking shortly after the team returned from New Zealand, Test captain Dean Elgar said he would be talking to those players; Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi, Rassie van der Dussen and Aiden Markram about putting their country first. A sixth player, Anrich Nortje is injured and his availability for the Bangladesh Tests was already doubtful according to selection convenor, Victor Mpitsang. The Proteas players will make between R1-million in the case of Ngidi and R18.5-million for Rabada for playing the whole IPL.
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On Wednesday Moseki said he understood fully why they would take up lucrative IPL offers. “I know it is difficult for the players but it is something where CSA will always support the players, while trying to balance the two necessities,” he said.
Moseki did mistakenly say that CSA couldn’t deny the players the opportunity to play in the IPL because of the Memorandum of Understanding that the organisation has with the players union, the SA Cricketers Association. Cricket SA can and in fact has previously agreed that players couldn’t play the full IPL schedule. It occurred in 2019, in order to help with preparations for the World Cup that year, although it was botched by then CEO Thabang Moroe.
In terms of the MoU the IPL is the only T20 league that is recognised as having a window and in that regard, the agreement with Saca is that the players be allowed to go. However Cricket SA could still issue a directive that they don’t. Cricket SA, Moseki said Wednesday was reluctant to do so, given the financial implications for the players.
“As CSA we support (the players wanting to go) because the money they make there helps their post cricket career livelihoods. It’s a delicate balance. We released some of the players midway through the Pakistan series last year.”
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What the current MoU, which expires at the end of next month, didn’t factor in was the expansion of the IPL this year which grew from eight teams to 10, and thus lengthened the schedule, eating into March, where previously the tournament had started in April.
The situation is extremely complicated and sensitive and is part of a much bigger problem facing cricket globally as T20 leagues in different countries gain more prominence and thus take up more space on the calendar.
There have been reports that the players have decided to forgo the Tests, although no official word has reached CSA or the selectors yet.
“I know that the players take playing for the country very seriously, so if they choose to go to the IPL, it doesn’t mean they think less of the country or are less patriotic. It is a difficult decision for a player to make — to go to the IPL or not,” said Moseki.
IOL Sport