SA in India - Feb 2010

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India may play Tests against SA The BCCI Working Committee will meet on December 18 to explore the possibility of squeezing in some Test matches when South Africa visit India More...

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Test series in India : Domestic problems for CSA Cricket South Africa (CSA) is exploring ways to accommodate the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) request to convert their scheduled five-match ODI series into a two-Test and 3-ODI tour in February-March next year. More... Domestic problems for South Africa Vijay Tagore / DNAFriday, December 11, 2009 1:05 IST Mumbai: Cricket South Africa (CSA) is exploring ways to accommodate the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) request to convert their scheduled five-match ODI series into a two-Test and 3-ODI tour in February-March next year. The South African Board wants to address certain scheduling issues in its domestic tournaments before giving a go-ahead to their Indian counterparts. "The BCCI has requested us to play two Tests and three ODIs and we are still considering it. We would like to accommodate them and I don't foresee a problem," CSA chief executive Gerald Majola told reporters in Johannesburg on Thursday. One of his major concerns is that a revised Indian itinerary will prevent South Africa's top stars from playing in the final stages of the Standard Band Pro20 competition. This is the country's premier domestic tournament the stakes of which have gone up since the creation of Champions League T20. The Pro20 tourney being the qualifying meet for the cash-rich tournament in India, the provincial boards, attached to the CSA, may not be willing to play without their top players. The two Tests and three ODIs may stretch the stay of Graeme Smith & Co in India by a week and that means they will have to miss the semifinal and final of the tournament. The CSA is now contemplating to push its domestic T20 competition by a week and this could have a trickle-down effect on their premier four-day domestic competition -- the SuperSport series. Given their equation with the BCCI, the South African officials do not want to turn down the belated request. They, however, want to address the resultant issues first. The CSA also wants to consult their players' body -- the South African Cricketers' Association -- and the team management. "We have to consult the SACA, the team management, our playing regulations and fixtures committees, as well as the Board," Majola said. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the BCCI will take up the matter at its working committee meeting here on December 18. By that time, the Indian officials will have received a response from their South African counterparts.

[Sachinism]

Sounds promising. But a worrying thing is how important T20 is becoming. With increased cash prizes and the opportunity to win really big in the champions trophy, players are being drawn to it more and more

[Karan114]

Why not play three Tests and three T20's instead. The crowds will pack it in for the T20's and I am sure they can charge more for every second of advertising time than they do for the ODI's. That way everyone will be happy - us Test fans get a proper series instead of a two Test affair (well ideally the top two sides would play a five Test series but that ain't gonna happen with India sadly) while the limited overs fans can get their fix from a few T20's But good to see the BCCI belatedly get Test cricket back on its agenda at least

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SA players' association backs BCCI for tests South African Cricketers' Association gave its nod to the BCCI proposal of having two Tests and three one dayers. More... Saturday 12th December 2009 SA players' association backs BCCI South African Cricketers' Association gave its nod to the BCCI proposal of having two Tests and three one dayers. SACA chief executive Tony Irish said the players would be happy to play more Tests instead of ODIs when they tour India in February-March 2010. "We as players are actually in favour of that. We would prefer to go there (India) and play two Tests and three one-dayers rather than playing five-ODI series," Irish said. He said BCCI's last-minute request -- having realised that just two Tests in the next 11 months would not be enough to protect the team's number one status -- was not "ideal" but felt it was necessary to "compromise" for the betterment of Test cricket. "It is not ideal. But there has to be a set of compromises and we are making some now in order to play Test cricket," the SACA CEO said. South Africa would not complain playing more Tests as they are scheduled to play only five in 2010 as compared to the six in 2009. "We believe that it is vital to play as much Test cricket as possible because the players believe it is the pinnacle of cricket," Irish said. "Firstly we played so little Test cricket this year so we are keen to play (more) Test matches. Then we also want to play because India are No. 1 and we are No. 2. It is also good for Test cricket as this shows support for the longer version," said Irish. The players, however, want the two boards chalk out right dates if the two Tests are to be squeezed in as they do not want to miss out on playing the Pro20, South Africa's domestic Twenty20 competition. "One of the downsides is that our national players might miss the semifinals and the finals of the Pro20 domestic competition. If that can be accommodated that will be good," said Irish. The first round of Standard Bank Pro20 semifinals are due to start on February 24, with the second round beginning on March 3 and the final on March 12, so Cricket South Africa is trying to push back those dates by at least a week to accommodate the BCCI request. "There are a couple of issues about getting the dates right: we would need to arrive earlier than what was proposed by India," Irish said.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

this is great news.. :yay:

[dial_100]

Good news for Test Cricket CSA agreed to play 2 test match.. thats wonderful news...we have some excitement to look forward to..B->B->:two_thumbs_up: Good job BCCI babus

[Riley's Girl]

:palty:

[Sachinism]

Well done BCCI :two_thumbs_up:

[satishg]

where is the source?

[Gambit]

Terrific news! http://cricketnext.in.com/news/south-africa-to-play-two-tests-against-india/45768-13.html Series will be played between 5th Feb and 2nd March.

[King Tendulkar]

:two_thumbs_up:

[DomainK]

Brilliant news. It will be fun.

[Nova]

Cheers for test cricket..hip hip hurray..:yay:

[EnterTheVoid]

Two test series ? :mad:

[kabira]

Battle for No. 1 spot. Hopefully Eden Gardens gets one of the Test.

[zubinpepsi]

we shud only play tests.. watching ind play odi and T20 is a horrific experience.. and shoot the curators for making such pitches..

[ViruRulez]

India vs SA in India 2010 : South African reply expected in two days :amitdance::yay::aha:

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South Africa's reply on Test series expected in two days Cricket South Africa (CSA) is yet to reply to the Indian cricket Board's request for a Test series but the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are confident that a confirmation could come any time. More... South Africa's reply on Test series expected in two days Vijay Tagore / DNA Tuesday, December 22, 2009 1:42 IST Email Mumbai: Cricket South Africa (CSA) is yet to reply to the Indian cricket Board's request for a Test series but the officials of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are confident that a confirmation could come any time. In fact, the BCCI is expecting a reply in the next 48 hours. "It is just a matter of time. They have agreed in principle for the series. We're expecting a confirmation in day or two," a top Board official told DNA. The series is likely to take place in February-March next year. The CSA is believed to be making adjustments in its domestic fixtures before giving the BCCI a final go ahead. For the record, it maintains that it has not set any time limit for replying to the BCCI. "We don't have a time-frame. We're looking at a few options. We'll reply once we are through with our consultation process," CSA chief executive Gerald Majola said on Monday. However, a South Africa team spokesman said that it is more than likely that Graeme Smith & Co will come to India for the Tests. "We've not heard anything from the CSA but I understand that it is more than likely to happen. But the final announcement will be made by the BCCI," he said, indicating that the players have been spoken to about the tour. It may be noted that the BCCI had sent the South African Board a request to convert the scheduled five ODIs into a two-Test and three-ODI series. It was a belated decision by the BCCI which wanted to give Team India a chance to retain their No.1 ranking in Tests. Since beating Sri Lanka earlier this month, MS Dhoni & Co are the top side in ICC Test rankings. There are already speculations about the venues for the two Tests and the three ODIs. Sources say the five-day matches could be held in Nagpur and Kolkata and the three one-dayers could be in Jaipur, Goa and Jamshedpur. There is also a chance that Vizag, which lost out in hosting the Sri Lanka match because of the Telangana crisis, is also in the reckoning. When contacted, a BCCI official said the venues will be finalised once the go-ahead from the CSA is obtained. "Once we get the confirmation, the fixtures committee will have to sit. Most likely we may hold a teleconference before announcing the venues," the official said.

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India vs SA in India, 2010 : Cricket South Africa ready to play two tests in India next year The Test series versus South Africa is on. After mulling over BCCI's proposal for a long time, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has finally given its nod for two Tests and three one-dayers. The go-ahead came about two days back. More... Cricket South Africa ready to play ball with BCCI Vijay Tagore / DNA Monday, December 28, 2009 1:01 IST Mumbai: The Test series versus South Africa is on. After mulling over BCCI's proposal for a long time, Cricket South Africa (CSA) has finally given its nod for two Tests and three one-dayers. The go-ahead came about two days back. "Yes, we have got the confirmation," a top BCCI official told DNA. "They have agreed to our request," he added. The Board will announce the schedule soon, most probably this week, after holding a meeting of its tours and fixtures committee. It may be recalled that DNA was the first to report that the BCCI had requested CSA to arrange for two Tests and three ODIs instead of the scheduled five one-day internationals in February-March next year. However, none of the Board officials was willing to come on record. It was also learnt that CSA has sent BCCI a few 'options' for the series. It could not be ascertained whether those are actually conditions. When contacted, BCCI secretary N Srinivasan said that he would issue a release once the fixture is finalised. However, Gerald Majola, the chief executive officer of Cricket South Africa, said that the announcement will have to come from the BCCI while confirming that he has given the Indian board a few 'options'. "We cannot say anything at this stage. We have given the BCCI some options and it is up to them to decide on this," he said. He refused to elaborate but it is learnt that those were about the scheduling of the series rather than any tough strings. The BCCI is believed to have sounded out its stake-holders -- sponsors and broadcasters -- about the series. There is already a talk about likely venues. Kolkata, Nagpur and Bangalore are in the race for the Test matches while Jaipur, Goa and Visakhapatnam are in contention for the ODIs. BCCI's request to CSA was an off-shoot of the Indian team's ascent to the No.1 position in ICC's Test rankings. The team was not scheduled to play Tests for about nine months after their two-Test away series against Bangladesh next month. The Indian Board wanted to give Mahendra Singh Dhoni & Co all possible opportunities to retain the top spot. It is more than likely that the BCCI will dash off a similar request to Cricket Australia to play a few Tests in place of seven one-dayers when Ricky Ponting and his boys are slotted to visit India next October.