Centurion: South Africa pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada and medium-pacer Sisanda Magala have pulled out of the 3TC Solidarity Cup scheduled to be played on Saturday at the SuperSport Park.
The 3TC match will be contested between three teams of eight players each. The match would be played over 36 overs in two halves of 18 overs with a break at halftime. In the second half, teams will bat in order of the highest scores in the first half. If scores are tied, the first half order is reversed. The match will mark the resumption of cricket in the country after it was halted due to coronavirus pandemic.
According to an ESPNcricinfo report, Rabada and Magala had to pull out due to death of immediate family members while no explanation has been given yet for all-rounder Chris Morris’ absence from the match.
The three replacements are Thando Ntini (Kingfishers), Gerald Coetzee (Kingfishers) and Bjorn Fortuin (Eagles)
In Rabada’s absence, Heinrich Klaasen has been named as captain of the Kingfishers team. Meanwhile, the other two teams, namely Kites and Eagles, will be led by Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers respectively.
The match was initially set to be held on June 27 but had to be postponed due to implications put forward by the COVID-19 crisis. The match in Centurion will be held behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, like many professional sports around the world, Cricket South Africa (CSA) have also been discussing ways to express support for the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
“We’re discussing various ways of handling it. The kit has gone to print already. We need to figure out how we can be effective about it, authentic, and spread the messages that are meaningful to us as South Africans and how it affects us on a daily basis,” CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo. “We are all in our own little pockets and I think it’s important that in the future we all come together and figure out how we can play our role in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement,” he added. (IANS)
