SA delay WTC preparations, IPL franchises breathe sigh of relief
What's the story
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has delayed the commencement of its preparations for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia. CSA's director of cricket Enoch Nkwe confirmed that the Proteas will now start training on June 3. This comes as a huge relief to all Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises as the schedule of the ongoing edition has been tweaked due to the recent tensions between India and Pakistan. The final will now take place on June 3.
Shift in plans
CSA's initial stance and subsequent change
Initially, CSA asked all Proteas stars to return by May 26, to prepare for the WTC final. "One thing we've made clear, and we are finalizing it with the IPL and BCCI, is that we are sticking to our original plan when it comes to WTC preparations with May 26 being the latest for the Test guys to come back," Enoch Nkwe had said. However, a few hours later, he announced a change in plans.
Agreement reached
BCCI, CSA, and IPL franchises reach consensus
After discussions with the BCCI, CSA, and IPL franchises, it was decided that South Africa will start their WTC preparations on June 3. Nkwe clarified this change in schedule by saying: "Correction - the squad will resume training for the game on June 3rd. The matter is being discussed higher up than me. At ground level, we are focusing on preps for the WTC final."
Team composition
South Africa's squad for WTC final
A total of 20 South African players are playing IPL 2025. Of these, eight have been picked for the WTC final against Australia starting June 11 at Lord's. The picked players are Corbin Bosch and Ryan Rickelton (both Mumbai Indians), Wiaan Moulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad), Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings), Aiden Markram (Lucknow SuperGiants), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bengaluru), Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans) and Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals).
Training schedule
South Africa's WTC final preparations
As per CSA's plan, the South African squad will arrive in the UK on May 31. They will play a warm-up match against Zimbabwe between June 3-6. This new schedule gives the players an opportunity to continue playing IPL 2025 till its conclusion on June 3, before turning their attention fully toward preparing for the WTC final against Australia.