Cash or country: Elgar says Bangladesh series will be a loyalty test for SA IPL stars
REMINDER: Dean Elgar, centre
Dean Elgar says the Proteas’ upcoming Test series will be a loyalty test for IPL-bound stars.
South Africa are scheduled to host Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, with the first starting on March 30 to April 3 in Durban and the second April 7 to11 at Gqeberha’s St George's Park.
That will be preceded by a three-match ODI series, running from March 18-23, after which The IPL, the most lucrative T20 league in the world, starts on March 26.
There are 11 South African players contracted with different IPL teams, six of whom are likely starters for the Proteas Test team, including fast bowlers; Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi.
Cricket SA informed Elgar that the decision about whether to play those Tests, or head to the IPL, where they would have to serve a mandatory three-day quarantine before release, would be dependent on each player.
And the SA Test skipper says: “It’s a headache.
“It’s tough putting that in the players’ box, but this is where you see where a player’s loyalty lies.
“They mustn't forget that Test cricket and One-Day cricket got them into the IPL — not the other way around.
“I owe it to the group and those individuals to give them the chance to make a decision and if it means I have to make them aware of their positions in the side then I have to do that.
“For me it’s about the bigger picture, it’s about us playing as much Test cricket as possible. We already play so little Test cricket and we can’t not have our best players around when the team is called upon to perform.”