To be fair, there isn’t much cricket to come from the Proteas men’s team in any format between the end of the ODI series against the Dutch in April and the visit of Australia for a white ball tour in August.
Of course, failure to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup directly will see the Proteas pressed into the qualifier tournament to be staged in Zimbabwe.
Incredibly that would see the Proteas play international cricket in Zimbabwe for the first time in nine years.
Whether that transpires or not, the Proteas don’t have any Test cricket between the end of the West Indies series and the visit of India in December.
The series win over the West Indies hasn’t quite managed to paper over the cracks in the Proteas game, and the team are still reliant on the fast bowlers to keep them in contests.
The Test pitches rolled out have also reflected this as groundsmen play the percentages which hasn’t helped the batters find their feet.
The positives were there in the West Indies series with Aiden Markram putting in consistently brilliant performances, and his partnership with Dean Elgar has been restored and is in good health.
As for the rest of the batting, it isn’t really clear who is in trouble although Temba Bavuma’s big hundred buys him time.
The likes of Keegan Petersen and Ryan Rickleton won’t be at all sure of their places come December, and the next squad will likely also be informed by a few rounds of the domestic First Class season.
Without any Test cricket between now and December, this team will not be able to build any momentum.
The next World Test Championship cycle has been targeted by skipper Bavuma and the new Test coach Shukri Conrad but their plans will mean little if this team doesn’t get to play more under their new skipper.
The gap in the schedule reflects a lack of attractive opponents for the Proteas rather than a lack of teams looking to fill their schedule.
However, CSA should consider taking on a less lucrative series to get this team more preparation for the next WTC cycle.
