Explained: Why South Africa are sending a rookie squad to New Zealand for two-Test series

South Africa haven’t been too busy as far as the Test format is concerned. One could point fingers in several directions when looking for a reason behind their lack of participation in the red-ball format, but the primary offender in this case would be the ICC and the 'Big Three' nations. The way things are shaping up, Test cricket appears to be headed towards becoming an elite club comprising some of the most powerful boards.

The Proteas' victory over India by a massive margin of an innings and 32-runs in Centurion last week was just the fourth Test that they had played in 2023. Before that, it was just the drawn Test against Australia in Sydney and the two-Test series against West Indies towards the end of their home season, which they ended up sweeping.

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Some had even expected the home team to struggle against a highly-rated Indian team ahead of the Centurion Test, primarily due to them having not played the five-day format for nearly nine months. The events of the Centurion Test however, not only have given the Rohit Sharma-led visitors a harsh reality check, but also shown that the South Africans know their conditions all too well.

And now we have the Proteas sending a second-string team to New Zealand for a two-Test series that gets underway in February. The squad comprises as many as seven uncapped players led by an individual who is yet to make a Test appearance and not one of the three players who are part of the ongoing series against India. This against a team that was crowned the inaugural world Test champion back in 2021.

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One the one hand the South Africans aren’t playing too many Tests. And on the other they send a ‘C’ team for an away assignment that could be crucial in the race to the WTC final in 2025.

What exactly is the reason behind this strange move? Here’s what you need to know:

Why have South Africa picked a second-string squad for the tour of New Zealand?

The reason why a majority of the first-team players aren’t available for the Test tour of New Zealand is because of the second edition of SA20, which will be taking place around the same time as the trip to the other side of the Indian Ocean (or Pacific, depending on the flight path).

The inaugural edition of SA20 turned out to be successful for the cash-strapped Cricket South Africa (CSA) — a board that has been plagued with years of bad governance and corruption, and needed a successful T20 league to revive its fortunes.

SA20, which some might describe as ‘IPL Lite’ given all six franchises are owned by Indian Premier League (IPL) teams, was an instant hit among the South African cricket fans with massive turnouts. That along with a big sponsorship deal with Betway and the broadcast deal as CSA dream of it becoming the  second-biggest league.

Prioritising SA20 over other assignments thus was going to be an obvious choice for CSA. The second edition begins on 10 January and will go on till 10 February. The two-Test series against the Black Caps gets underway on 4 February in Mount Maunganui with the second match in Hamilton starting 13 February.

CSA’s decision hasn’t exactly been popular with some of the purists of the game, including former Australia skipper Steve Waugh, who felt it New Zealand shouldn’t be playing the series after being shown such disrespect.

“Obviously, they don’t care. It’s going to happen if the South African cricket board are any indication of the future, keeping their best players at home.

“If I was New Zealand, I wouldn’t even play the series. I don’t know why they’re even playing. Why would you when it shows a lack of respect for New Zealand cricket?” said Waugh, one of the most successful captains of all time.