Despite the discussions, accusations and disappointment regarding Australia pulling out of their tour of South Africa, no one is asking the question “now what?”
What can Cricket Australia do to repair relations with Cricket South Africa and still try to fulfil their obligation to play a Test series there?
The series has after all only been postponed, not cancelled. My proposal is a co-hosted Test series between Australia and South Africa in the summer of 2022-23.
Australia’s obligations in the upcoming two and a half years are already quite demanding.
Three World Cups, Test tours of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and maybe Bangladesh to be compensated from the missed tour last year (although that seems very unlikely to happen), the Ashes at home next summer and then in England in 2023 as well as the possibility of a World Test Championship Final this year and again in 2023.
Squeezing in anything on top of these existing commitments seems impossible. Therefore, I propose an almost never tried idea: a co-hosted Test series.
South Africa is scheduled to play a three Test match series in Australia in two summers’ time. What if a compromise is reached and the three Test series becomes four, two to be played in South Africa and two in Australia?
It would be only the second ever Test series to be co-hosted by each competing side (South Africa and Zimbabwe co-hosted a two Test series in 1999). Each country “loses” hosting one Test match based on the original schedule.
However, it is fair to both countries and considering we are in a global pandemic losing just one Test each seems reasonable.
This could be a beautiful, unifying Test series between two countries who have a close cricketing history and relationship but in which the later has recently become strained.
Would a shared Test series work for South Africa and Australia? (Photo by Christiaan Kotze / AFP)
Considering Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Zimbabwe are all southern hemisphere countries with similar cricket seasons it is surprising something like this has not been discussed more in the past.
It works in rugby, why not in cricket too? Long gone are the weeks long boat trips or months long tours. With widely accessible TV and internet streaming viewing options, fans would still be able to engage in the entire series as well.
Southern hemisphere teams could play each other in multiple countries as part of the one tournament or series.
Perhaps even The Tri Nations, or a four-team championship. Does this sound familiar?
A big topic that would need to be decided if the co-hosted Test series went ahead is who gets to host the lucrative Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests.
Australians may baulk at even the idea that this would be up for debate, but if we want this series to be an illustration of good will and unity then these two marquee Tests also must be shared.
Sydneysiders will be devastated but I think few can argue with the Boxing Day MCG Test being the bigger of the two.
Thus, the New Year’s Test should go to South Africa and the SCG Test would be shifted to mid-December. If it were successful, this could be done more in the future between all southern hemisphere cricketing countries.
Imagine the local public interest and financial benefits of Australia playing a New Year’s or, dare I say it, a Boxing Day Test in South Africa, or at a packed Eden Park in Auckland, or perhaps even in Zimbabwe one day.
In a time when Cricket Australia’s commitment and responsibility to help cricket globally has been questioned such an innovation would go a long way to undoing the damage that has been done.
Gary David
Roar Rookie
Maate the global cricketing calendar is a mess. Where to start? Test championship with 9 teams who only play 6 opponents, what about the other 3 test playing nations? A ridiculously complicated points system because The Ashes must be 5 Tests but we'll only give two to teams like Bangladesh. ODI Super League with 13 teams but each only plays 8 opponents, yet there is still a bunch of cricket outside of these leagues because the "big three" want to play each other more. I've scratched my head thinking for a long time what needs to change and it's not easy finding a solution. T20 leagues almost year round don't help the problem. I think at the core of the problem the ICC needs to run cricket more like FIFA does football. There need to be set windows for T20 leagues, Tests, etc and member countries have to follow. BUT if that happens the "big three" will probably leave and make their own alternative governing body and everything will be a mess.
Mitcher
Guest
Whether it can or should be done is ultimately irrelevant. They are CA’s two most lucrative Tests and there’s no way in hell they’re giving them up, particularly to a board much less influential than they are.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
That previous comment was a bit of a loose verbal spurge. I just think if we are going to pursue a WTC, perhaps there is an alternative to the bilateral series approach, whereby we can get series between nations completed in a more condensed time window. To me, feels like the current desire to have a WTC based on bilateral series (which are somewhat hostage to a multitude of scheduling difficulties, notably including making space for ODIs and T20s), is a square peg in a round hole problem, notwithstanding the noble intention to try and make the WTC work. Seems to me we need to find a way of maintaining Test scheduling, but in a more efficient - and dare I say it - more bite-size timeframe.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Yep. It's a conundrum as to working out solutions. Perhaps this ongoing conundrum alone is justification for a paradigm shift in scheduling series. The WTC is both a blessing and a curse: the WTC provides "context" re establishing equal number of home/away series and this is seen as a good thing re the "protection" of the Test "brand". But at the same time, Test cricket most likely also needs these "marquee" series between Test heavyweights (or series that generate real interest based on historical battles - i.e. including South Africa) to go ahead, almost as a higher priority to an "even" WTC schedule. It's a really difficult balancing act. I do wonder whether the future of Test cricket, in order to maintain levels of participation, is for nations to host "tri-series" (similar to the 1912 tri series involving Aus, SAF, Eng). Or it could be India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (India v Pakistan remains problematic for the moment, so perhaps Bangladesh fills the void). I really don't know the answer, but it feels like a round-robin of three sides in a condensed time window in one location, may be a way forward in terms of getting series done in a compact Test schedule, versus continuing with the traditional bilateral series which are time consuming.
Gary David
Roar Rookie
I think it can still be done. The "New Year's" Test doesn't always start that early in the year anymore to ensure it is played over the weekend. For example 3 January 2023 is a Tuesday. The New Year's Test could start on say Friday the 6th. That would be a week since the end of the Boxing Day Test, no different than teams in the Rugby Championship playing one Saturday in SA and then the following Saturday back home right? As for the warm-up games that is the plus of a potential Southern Hemisphere 4 nations tournament, the conditions are relatively similar for all countries so hopefully it shouldn't be a big issue. But doubtless it would be blamed as a reason if the visiting team loses. I suppose it would be interesting to hear from an international player's perspective on the feasibility of it.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
Different sport with different admin.
Tim Carter
Roar Pro
My last article was for 4 nations tournaments, so I'm agreeable to these kinds of ideas. As good as it sounds to share the Boxing Day and New Year's Tests, unfortunately there's not enough of a gap between them to get over the jetlag, let alone get in an acclimating warm-up game. The series would therefore need to be held at a different time.
Ian
Roar Rookie
An interesting article Gary..a good read.Don't hold your breath with Australia giving up the Boxing Day Test.That will simply not happen.It always amuses me when the ACB or Cricket Australia bangs on about the great tradition of the Boxing Day Test.I can remember going to a one dayer on Boxing day at the MCG back in the early 1990's (against Pakistan I think) Also,the Adelaide test was always traditionally over the Australia day weekend.That tradition went out the window years ago as well.Money talks and Cricket Australia,like the other big three,will look after themselves and just throw a few scraps at the other test playing nations and tell them to be grateful for that.It's very shortsighted and incredibly sad for all of us that love Test Cricket.
Gary David
Roar Rookie
That is a decent alternative. But I think it makes Australia’s white ball summer too thin. We still need ODI and T20 games with so many World Cups around the corner. Also that would be going quite far from CA to basically give South Africa our home games. The following summer South Africa is again scheduled to play 3 ODIs in Australia after the three Test series. So basically my idea is in place of those ODIs play one more Test match. It’s not explicitly listed by the ICC but based on this current WTC being 6 series, 3 at home and 3 away, I assume the next WTC for Australia based on the Future Tours Programme is: home: England, West Indies and South Africa away: Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India So technically my proposal is losing “half” a home series for Australia.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Gary, Australia is scheduled to host South Africa from the 4th week of January next year for four weeks, playing 3 ODIs and 3 T20s. Subject to how it would impact the ODI Super League, perhaps these games could be vacated for a Test series in South Africa, though there would be a financial hit to CA and the expectation of these games happening may already be part of the Australian domestic broadcast rights. I guess the other issue is what the next round of the WTC needs to look like in terms of series H&A.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
South Africa has a very lucrative 6 ODI/3 T20 home and away set of fixtures with India in Sept and Oct.
Jim Prideaux
Roar Rookie
Yeah, fair enough, I agree we can’t just say that was that. Could we not have just re arranged tours, or come to some kind of sharing agreement. From the outside in it seemed SA were publicly flexible, but privately adamantine. EDIT: kind of what you were saying I suppose.
Gary David
Roar Rookie
Thanks James. As Australia and South Africa are already scheduled to play a series in the 2021-23 WTC cycle, I think this is actually the easiest solution in order to not mess up the WTC. If South Africa and Australia play an extra series that means all teams don't play the same number of series and we have the awkward percentage of points again, or the series just doesn't count to the WTC which sort of decreases the value of those tests then.
Gary David
Roar Rookie
Cheers Jim! I agree I think it was the right decision not to tour now, but we still need to get the tour done. Australia would be one of the highest income generating visiting teams for other countries. Imagine if India or England pulled out of touring Australia... that would kill CA's coffers. We'd be desperate to reschedule something. CA and CSA need to work together to come up with something, not just a indefinitely "postponed" series as this likely will turn into.
Jim Prideaux
Roar Rookie
Congrats on the first article on the Roar GL! Don’t mind the idea of a split tour as an idea. However, I don’t think CA needs to, or will, repair any damage with SA. They made the right choice, there was no way a tour could go ahead. SA will complain, but they knew this was coming. On the subject of changing the way tours are done, why not try things like having Australia play Pakistan and Bangladesh in the UAE consecutively - maybe even a tournament ? Unfair on Bangladesh you might say, and you’d be right, but I can’t see Australia touring Bangladesh for a while. Just a thought.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
And they prolly woulda won.
Marty
Roar Rookie
Won’t happen, too much bad blood from the previous tour. Even though CA will never say it, they’re probably thinking that a bit of financial pain may force CSA to consider whether its a good idea to let spectators in with masks designed to taught an opposition player’s wife.
JamesH
Roar Guru
I like that you're thinking outside the box, although there would be implications for other test series due to the WTC schedule. I think they should be looking at touring SA in September-October, assuming the weather is okay at that time of year. It would be great preparation for the Ashes. Unfortunately, SA's decision to seek costs from Australia has probably ruined any chance of CA offering an olive branch.
Jak
Guest
The Saffas were perfectly ok with dropping out out of the RC at the last minute, despite reassuring NZ, Aust and Argentina they would play, with the pathetic excuse of "not enough game time". Australia did the right thing refusing to journey to covid infested SA, especially with the hyper infectious variant that is now there. SA should've swallowed their pride and played the matches in Perth. They would've made more money.