‘Don’t think Steve Waugh is going to care…everybody outside South Africa become experts’: Test coach Shukri Conard | Cricket News

South Africa sending a weakened squad to New Zealand for a two-match Test series and preserving the majority of their first team to play SA20 has created a lot of commotion in the cricketing world. Australian legend Steve Waugh was critical of the decision and said, “If I was New Zealand, I wouldn’t even play.”
South African Test coach Shukri Conrad, after a loss to India in the 2nd Test in Cape Town, responded to the remark. “I do not think Steve Waugh is going to care what I say, but I love how everybody outside South Africa has become experts on South African cricket,” he said, as quoted ESPNCricinfo.
“Our hand has been forced. Everybody understands the SA20 has to happen. SA20 has to happen because it is the lifeblood of South African cricket. If it does not happen, we are not going to have Test cricket anyway,” he added.

The Proteas named an uncapped Neil Brand as their captain for the tour. All but two of the players on the side that beat India in the Boxing Day test are competing in the SA20 league, but David Bedingham and Keegan Petersen will be going to New Zealand.
Earlier in the week, Cricket South Africa released a statement about their situation. “CSA has the utmost respect for the test format as the pinnacle of the game we love.”
“The dates for this tour were set when the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2023-2027 was finalised in 2022.
“The window for the SA20 had not been determined at that stage. Once it became apparent that there would be a clash, we made every effort to find another mutually suitable timeslot for this series in consultation with New Zealand Cricket.
“Regrettably the constraints imposed the global cricket calendar rendered this impossible, as the games must be played before April 2025 as part of the World Test Championship.
South Africa played only four tests in 2023 as limited overs series took precedence.
After New Zealand, they have two-test series lined up against West Indies, Bangladesh (both away), Sri Lanka and Pakan (both home) in 2024.