'Death Of Test Cricket?', Steve Waugh Fumes As South Africa Name B-Team For NZ Tests
Key players won't be available for NZ Tests [AP]
Steve Waugh stood critical of Cricket South Africa (CSA) for picking an understrength Test squad for the coming trip to New Zealand in February, missing several key players, who will instead be busy playing Proteas' SA20 league at home during the window.
The legendary former Australia captain said he is shocked to see the treatment South Africa have handed out to the two critical World Test Championship (WTC) fixtures scheduled in Mount Maunganui and Hamilton in their quest to maximise earnings via their annual T20 tournament, which is backed by IPL's rich and prominent franchises.
The 14-member squad announced for the Kiwi challenge has caused heavy disappointment for Test cricket lovers since it doesn't include any of the frontline players while featuring just seven capped ones.
The team will be led by uncapped cricketer Neil Brand as the cricket fraternity wonders is this another nail in the coffin for Test cricket?
Waugh Slams South Africa's SA20-Ravaged Squad
The squad ravaged by South Africa's prioritising the second edition of the SA20 league over Test cricket was a cause of anger for Waugh, who asked if this could be taken as a mark of the format dying in the rainbow nation and urged the ICC to intervene and do something to protect it.
"Is this a defining moment in the death of Test cricket. Surely the ICC along the cricket boards of India, England and Australia, must step in to protect the purest form of the game," Waugh wrote on Instagram.
"A premium, equal match fee for all test players might be a good starting point. History and tradition must count for something."
"If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria, the legacy of Bradman, Grace and Sobers will be irrelevant. #timetobecounted #stepuptotheplate #standforsomething," he added.
 "Kashish Chadha")
