‘Higher up than me’: South Africa’s Test backflip after India power move

Indian cricket has flexed its muscle to overrule South African plans for the world Test championship final, cutting back preparation time for the likes of Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen ahead of their showdown with Australia by insisting they stay in India until the end of the IPL.

The resumption of the IPL, after conflict between India and Pakistan, is a far bigger money spinner than the Test decider, forcing difficult conversations among boards and franchises as cricket’s hectic calendar strains to cope with a week’s delay.

South African speedster Kagiso Rabada. Credit: Getty Images

CSA’s team performance arm initially pushed a hard line on Wednesday night, insisting that its eight IPL players would not be part of the resuming tournament for any longer than the originally slated May 25 finish of the competition.

“One thing we’ve made clear, and we are finalising it with the IPL and the 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,” CSA’s director of cricket Enoch Nkwe said overnight.

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