Ken Borland

Proteas captain Dean Elgar is set to make an emotional plea to his IPL-bound team-mates to show their loyalty to South Africa and delay their departure to India so they can be available for both Tests against Bangladesh starting on March 31.

South Africa are currently fourth in the World Test Championship and two Tests at home against Bangladesh would normally be considered a prime opportunity to make further advances up the standings.

But the IPL starts on March 26 and the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram and Rassie van der Dussen all have lucrative deals with Indian franchises. Elgar made it clear on Friday that he really wants them to be available for the Bangladesh Tests at Kingsmead and St George’s Park.

“The IPL is a headache and this morning CSA said the players need to give an indication whether they want to play for South Africa or go to the IPL,” Elgar said. “It’s a tough one to put in the players’ hands.

“So this will be the test of where their loyalty lies. I will be phoning them and reminding them that they got to the IPL because of their performances for the Proteas. I will be asking them not to forget where they came from.

“I wish I knew more about who will be available and who will not because most of my bowlers could potentially not be there for the Bangladesh Tests.

“Conditions are probably going to be more suited to the opposition on the coast and we’re not going to have our A side when I would like everyone at our disposal. It’s a tough one for me,” Elgar said.

Although the Proteas seem to have discovered their Test cricket mojo over the last nine months, Elgar stressed that Bangladesh cannot be underestimated, or else there could be a repeat of Sri Lanka’s notorious breakthrough triumph at the same venues in 2018/19.

About the only positive for the Proteas would be the chance the IPL players’ absence would provide for talents like Ryan Rickelton or Glenton Stuurman to get exposure at Test level.

“We need our best side because we can by no means be disrespectful to Bangladesh,” Elgar said. “On their day they can really give us a headache, as seen recently in their win in New Zealand.

“The talent pool and ability is there for them. I don’t want our players to miss out on the IPL, but I hope playing for the country is bigger for them. They all play a massive role in the team.

“We already play so little Test cricket so we can’t not have our best players available when we do play. I’m in for an interesting few days, no doubt,” Elgar said.

‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ is a well-known phrase and in Cricket South Africa’s case it translates to ‘don’t ignore the requests of whoever is giving you your payslip’ as they announced on Monday that no tickets will be made available to the general public for the three Tests against India that start on Boxing Day.

CSA have made their immense gratitude to the Board of Control for Cricket in India for agreeing to the tour despite all the recent Covid scares well-known, with the broadcast fees providing a timely boost to their dwindling financial reserves. So when India requested that there be no spectators present during the series, for the protection of their somewhat reluctant players, they were always going to accede.

CSA were even willing to say in their official statement that it was a joint decision by the two bodies. But sources from the stadiums who are going to host the three matches have confirmed India was clearly reluctant to have the general public at the games.

There will apparently still be some spectators at the matches because a limited number of hospitality suites will be available for sponsors and administrators.

Another disappointing revelation for cricket fans on Monday was the news that the Mzansi Super League, scheduled for February, will revert back to just being an ordinary CSA T20 Challenge competition.

The Proteas are due to play a Test series in New Zealand from mid-February, which means they will certainly miss most of the T20 tournament, and, according to insiders, there has been little interest from any overseas stars in the MSL.

The difficulties of international travel during these times of Covid have played a role, as has the rand/dollar exchange rate, with CSA apparently needing to fork out large amounts to get rather average overseas cricketers to participate.

It means fans will have to be satisfied with seeing the young pups of domestic cricket battle it out, and it will also be held in a bio-bubble at St George’s Park.

CSA made the decision apparently in an effort to protect the MSL brand, given that the product in February is bound to be watered down compared to the premier global event they envisaged when they first introduced the troubled event.

Saturday’s hastily arranged match for the SA A team against the Bulls in Cape Town is the last available cab for those members of the Springbok squad who are looking to get a ride into the squad for the first Test next weekend against the British and Irish Lions, which is why coach Jacques Nienaber is expecting plenty of intensity and even desperation from his team.

Realistically, most of this SA A side have a chance of featuring in the Test 23, especially with the Springboks still waiting on several players to clear their Covid Return-to-Play protocols. Tighthead prop Vincent Koch, flank Marco van Staden and flyhalf Elton Jantjies are probably the players with the most to gain as strong performances by them could see them into the starting XV because Frans Malherbe, Siya Kolisi and Handre Pollard have Covid question marks over their names.

“The main purpose of this match is to get more game time and to get good intensity, as well as allowing the players to stake a claim, we want to give everyone fair chance. We wanted three games for all that and we’ve been lucky enough to get that thanks to the Bulls. On Wednesday the team had a different goal, but Saturday will be a big chance for guys to stake a claim for a possible Test start.

“That’s the desperation that drives this group and playing against the top franchise in South Africa should be a phenomenal test. The Bulls have an unbelievable coaching structure and we know they will leave no stone unturned to give us a proper hit out. The fact that it is a unique game – I can’t remember in my time SA A playing against a franchise – adds to how huge it will be,” Nienaber said on Friday.

The Springbok squad just keeps getting bigger as it becomes a vessel for more and more back-up players due to the number of Covid infections, and tighthead prop Wilco Louw, who last played for South Africa before the World Cup in 2019, has made his way back into the picture and will play off the bench against the Bulls.

“Wilco has joined us because of the Covid infections. When a player tests positive, they have to spend 10 days in isolation, but then there’s the Return-to-Play Protocol which has markers the player has to pass like with concussion. So it’s basically 16-17 days before they’re back in the mix, so we still have some players unavailable.

“We only had four props so if we had one more injury then we would not be able to field a front row and would have to forfeit the match. Then there are guys like Dan du Preez for example, who still have Covid and have not been able to play in any of the warm-up games. For a player like that to now make the Test side, they would have to have had extensive time in our system,” Nienaber explained.

SA A team – Aphelele Fassi, Yaw Penxe, Wandisile Simelane, Damian de Allende, Rosko Specman, Elton Jantjies, Cobus Reinach, Kwagga Smith, Rynhardt Elstadt, Marco van Staden, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Jean-Luc du Preez, Vincent Koch, Joseph Dweba, Coenie Oosthuizen. Bench: Thomas du Toit, Fez Mbatha, Wilco Louw, Jasper Wiese, Sanele Nohamba, Sbu Nkosi, Jesse Kriel, Damian Willemse, Lizo Gqoboka.

The Springboks still have 20 of the 23 players (presuming Duane Vermeulen will be unavailable until the closing stages of the Lions series) who featured in the 2019 World Cup final available as they return to international action. So there is probably not much scope for fresh faces to burst on to the scene, but there are still opportunities for some players to show they can be trustworthy regulars in the couple of years leading into the next World Cup.

Trevor Nyakane: The 32-year-old suffered the misfortune of being injured in the first week of the 2019 World Cup and missed out on the final. One of seven props in the squad, the Bulls star will want to return to his pre-eminent place in the tighthead pecking order alongside Frans Malherbe and will need to see off the claims of Vincent Koch, who came off the bench early in the second half of the World Cup final, and the versatile pairing of Thomas du Toit and Coenie Oosthuzen, who can both be considered ‘swing props’.

But Nyakane says he is up for the challenge – “This is a completely different environment, there’s less room for error and all the players are top-quality. So you need to step up to that level, make it as hard as possible when it comes to selection, give them a headache when it comes to picking, Healthy competition Is good.”

Marco van Staden: The Bulls No.6 is sometimes described as a ‘typical fetcher who gives away lots of penalties’, but this is misleading because Van Staden has contributed in so many different aspects of play for the South African pace-setters – while he has conceded 11 penalties in the Rainbow Cup and won several turnovers, he has also won 91% of the tackles he was called to make and gains 2.1 metres per ball-carry. So he is tending towards the sort of hybrid flank that could be very useful to Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber’s replacements bench.

Rynhardt Elstadt: When people think of the 31-year-old Toulouse star, they have a picture of a hugely physical loose forward making big carries and bashing away on the gain-line. But Elstadt has developed his game at the European champions and has also become a trustworthy lineout forward. With locks Lood de Jager and RG Snyman both in doubt due to injury concerns, Elstadt has the chance to become a regular in the Springbok 23 particularly because of his utility value.

“For us, coming from this side of the world, we can have a bit more of a contribution, I hope. We have played a bit more rugby up in the northern hemisphere than the guys in the south. They have only been playing against each other, whereas we have played a lot against the guys in the Premiership and Pro14 who will be on the Lions tour. We have got quite a good feeling about it, I am really amped to be going and joining the boys and see if we can’t go and win another title,” Elstadt told the Talking Rugby Union website this week.