SA prioritise domestic T20s, refuse to play ODIs in Oz

Melbourne, June 7: South Africa’s upcoming tour of Australia in December-January will be curtailed as the visitors have sought the ODI matches to be rescheduled because the organisers of South Africa’s domestic T20 tournament have refused to allow players to remain in Australia following the conclusion of the Test series, a report in an Australian publication has claimed.
The report also claimed that the launch of the new UAE T20 league, to be played in January 2023, has further crunched the calendar into which the Big Bash League is attempting to revamp itself with a better quality offering than was seen in recent seasons. That has left Cricket Australia (CA) in a spot of bother looking for dates in an already crowded season.
Should the ODI series be moved or cancelled, it will aid CA in similar goals for the BBL – namely the availability of top Australian players in the window between the end of the Test series against South Africa and the start of a tour of India in February.
The report claimed that the two boards are scrambling to find another window in which to play the games, which are “pivotal as they are to automatic qualification for the 2023 World Cup”.
Presently ranked 11th, the Proteas need to finish inside the top eight to qualify. Australia are sixth. (IANS)