The resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) might have got the excitement of the fans, but seems to be affecting the preparation for the major international events. Cricket South Africa (CSA) are facing a huge challenge in getting their players ready for the upcoming World Test Championship final happening in Lord’s, set to begin on June 11.
The IPL 2025, which was originally expected to conclude by May 25, had to be pushed back further following border conflicts between India and Pakistan. The tournament has now been extended till Tuesday, June 3 after facing a suspension for nearly 10 days. As a result, the South African cricket board has decided to delay its departure to the United Kingdom by roughly one week for the WTC clash against defending champions Australia.
The CSA Director of Cricket, Enoch Nkwe, had earlier made it clear that they would want the players who are part of the World Test Championship (WTC) final back by May 26. This would have given the player enough time to prepare for the grand event against the Pat Cummins-led Australian side.
“One thing we’ve made clear, and we are finalising it with the IPL and the BCCI, is that we are sticking to our original plan when it comes to WTC preparations with May 26 being the latest for the Test guys to come back,” Nkwe had said as quoted by ‘The Sunday Morning Herald’.
However, the director’s statement suddenly took a U-turn, saying that the training for the final will now begin on June 3, with the matter being discussed by individuals who are well above his position. This would only give the players close to a week to prepare for their first-ever WTC final.
“Correction – the squad will resume training for the game on June 3rd. The matter is being discussed higher up than me. At ground level, we are focusing on preps for the WTC final,” Nkwe back-flipped on the previous statement.
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South Africa and Australia squads for the WTC final
South Africa squad: Tony de Zorzi, Ryan Rickelton, Aiden Markram, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne, Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Dane Paterson, Keshav Maharaj, Senuran Muthusamy
Australia squad: Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann. (Travelling reserve: Brendan Doggett)
