Ken Borland

CSA’s director of cricket Graeme Smith is always just a call away from BCCI supremo Sourav Ganguly and the former Proteas captain assured on Wednesday that reports from India that their tour of South Africa would be reduced in duration had no basis.

The Times of India, quoting unnamed sources, reported on Wednesday that the BCCI has been “left with no choice” but to reschedule the series, with the number of Test matches reduced from three to two, ostensibly allowing the Indian team to fly out to South Africa later than their scheduled departure date of December 9.

The report implied that it was the players who were pushing for a shorter tour. India are also scheduled to play three one-day internationals and four T20s.

Smith’s response to questions over whether there is any truth in the Indian reports was a terse “Nothing like this has been discussed.”

Smith has been a long-time supporter of BCCI president Ganguly and the mutual respect between the two former national captains is obvious. They are in regular cellphone contact.

The uncertainty is still causing immense frustration, however, because South African cricket has been down this road before with both England and Australia contriving to almost ruin last summer by their rancouring decision to pull out of tours.

The selection of the Proteas squad for the first Test, starting on December 17, has been delayed. Not just because of the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid but also because of some injury problems.

Lungi Ngidi’s positive Covid test – and the fact he has only bowled seven competitive overs since July – and Lizaad Williams’ side strain are in the public domain, but there are also apparently a couple of other injuries that nobody seems willing to talk about.

On the plus side, the selectors have confirmed that they have been in contact with rampant Central Gauteng Lions fast bowler Duanne Olivier and he is available for the Proteas again. The former Kolpak player has roared to the top of the wicket-takers’ list in four-day provincial cricket, with 28 scalps in four matches at an average of just 11.14.

He has been ferocious and the thought of a raging Olivier hurling down the ball at India’s batsmen at Centurion and the Wanderers, along with fellow fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, is a tantalising one.

The upkeep of the Kingsmead pitch for the duration of the intense two-week long CSA T20 Challenge looks like it could be a challenge given the clatter of wickets in the first match between the victorious Titans and the Knights on Friday.

All 17 matches of the tournament will be played at Kingsmead in a biosecure bubble and the opening clash was a low-scoring affair as the Knights suffered a stunning collapse.

Having won the toss and batted, the Knights raced to 84 for two after just eight overs thanks to Patrick Kruger (22 off 13) and the fiery Andries Gous (35 off 19).

But on a dry, slowish pitch that is only going to deteriorate, they then crashed to 116 all out. That they got that far was thanks largely to captain Pite van Biljon scoring a run-a-ball 33.

It was paceman Lizaad Williams (3-0 20-2) who started the collapse by dismissing Gous and the experienced Farhaan Behardien with successive deliveries.

Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (4-0-20-3) then removed three batsmen in quick succession, and the quality pace bowling of Lungi Ngidi (3-0-19-2) and Chris Morris (3.2-0-10-1) did the rest.

Eight wickets had fallen for just 32 runs and Migael Pretorius (4-1-26-3) then blasted out the first three Titans batsmen with just seven runs on the board.

But Dean Elgar (37) and skipper Heinrich Klaasen (54* off 40) added 76 for the fourth wicket to rescue the Titans innings.

And Morris then slammed 21 not out off eight balls to slam the door shut on the Knights.