Veteran South African player Dean Elgar has stated that Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) decision to select an inexperienced Test squad for the tour of New Zealand is not an “ideal” situation. He, however, shared that he is confident of Test cricket surviving and having a future as well. Elgar, 36, will be retiring from international cricket after the Cape Town Test against India as well, which starts on Wednesday, January 3. He will be leading the side in his farewell Test in injured Temba Bavuma’s absence as well.
At a pre-match press conference, the opening batter shared his views. “I still think Test cricket will have a future and in speaking to the younger guys in the dressing room, they still live for the format. The situation we’ve been put in from a cricketing fraternity perspective isn’t ideal and maybe the team that’s selected to go to New Zealand isn’t ideal for the conversation of how I see Test cricket,” Elgar shared.
However, uncapped Neil Brand will lead the side against the Kiwis as most of the senior players will be part of SA20 as well.
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“It must be seen in that light as we can’t control what happens behind the scenes. It is out of the players, coaches and team management’s hands. We need to focus on what we can focus on and the guys going to New Zealand need to focus on that,” the veteran batter added.
Meanwhile, as the debate over the future of Test cricket has gained momentum, Dean Elgar made it clear that his decision to retire is not related to the recent developments in South African cricket. He also shared that he had made his mind up a while back.
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“I made my decision long ago. It was a couple of months back that I decided for this to be my last serie. Regardless of what happened behind the scenes, I had already made my bed and I’m sleeping in it quite nicely. The future is in the hands of the administrators in terms of making the right decisions for players and the longevity of our Test format and our Test team,” Dean Elgar concluded.
