LEFT ARM OVER
NEIL MANTHORP: Darker motives lie behind India’s disdain for our tradition of festive season Tests
'There are strong indications that the vendetta against Cricket SA, which started with the emasculation of the last tour four years ago, is continuing'
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was sent a proposed itinerary for the country’s tour of SA in 2016. It included two warm-up matches, as requested, before the four-Test series began with the traditional Boxing Day-New Year Test double-header at Kingsmead and Newlands. No response was forthcoming for almost nine months until this week when it was learned that India’s home series against Sri Lanka will not end until December 24, which cuts things a bit tight to start in Durban on the 26th. The BCCI is still insisting on two warm-up matches, which also puts the New Year Test in serious doubt. Starting any later than January 3 would mean finishing outside the holiday window and would also deny the players the required rest period between matches with the four-Test series against Australia due to start before India’s dust has settled. There is one, final hope that some part of SA’s showpiece Test summer can be saved but it would involve a despicable compromise: India fiel...
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