South Africa’s bid to win their first-ever World Test Championship (WTC) title was nearly compromised—not by injury or poor form—but by international conflict and a rescheduled Indian Premier League (IPL).
With more than half of their WTC final squad participating in the IPL, the Proteas were at risk of entering their biggest Test in over a decade without sufficient preparation. The IPL was unexpectedly paused for 10 days following a serious military escalation between India and Pakistan, which brought the two countries to the brink of war.
Though the tournament resumed without match cancellations, the pause forced the IPL to extend by 10 days, ending on 3 June—the same day South Africa is scheduled to play a vital four-day warm-up against Zimbabwe in Sussex. That left Cricket South Africa (CSA) scrambling to avoid a worst-case scenario.
CSA and BCCI strike deal to protect Proteas’ WTC build-up
In a crucial intervention, top CSA officials negotiated with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to ensure that South Africa’s eight IPL-based players would be released early, by 25 May, so they could join the national team’s WTC preparation camp in England on 31 May.
“We basically just stuck to the original plan of the IPL until the 25th (of May) because we already put plans in place post the 25th for the Test players in preparation for the WTC,” CSA director of national teams and high performance, Enoch Nkwe, said to Daily Maverick. “Players knew well in advance.”
The agreement means star players such as Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans), Aiden Markram (Lucknow Super Giants), Lungi Ngidi (Royal Challengers Bangalore), and Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings) will miss the IPL playoffs. Others being released include Corbin Bosch and Ryan Rickelton (Mumbai Indians), Wiaan Mulder (Sunrisers Hyderabad), and Tristan Stubbs (Delhi Capitals).
“This is our number one priority and we wanted to give ourselves the best chance to prepare well to head into the warm-up game against Zimbabwe in good shape because post that game there’s not a lot of time to finalise preparations,” said Nkwe.
Australia’s head start, but Proteas catching up
South Africa’s key rivals, Australia, took a more straightforward route. Most of their WTC squad, including pacer Mitchell Starc, skipped the IPL’s post-pause resumption altogether. While several players have been preparing in Brisbane ahead of the final, Josh Hazlewood remained in India and is available for the IPL playoffs before joining the national squad.
In contrast, several Proteas not involved in the IPL—Kyle Verreynne, David Bedingham, and Dane Paterson—have remained active through County Championship cricket. Bedingham, however, is only just returning after a toe fracture curtailed his early-season stint with Durham.
“We needed to make sure we did everything in our power with the little amount of time that we had to maximise preparation,” Nkwe emphasized. “It was very important. We’re grateful to get it over the line and have players available so we can zone in and focus on the preparation for the WTC final.”
Zimbabwe warm-up vital to South Africa’s red-ball readiness
The warm-up fixture against Zimbabwe, scheduled for 3 June, is critical—not just for practice but for shaking off the rust accumulated by players like captain Temba Bavuma, who hasn’t played since South Africa’s semi-final loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy in early March.
“It’s ideal,” Nkwe said of the Zimbabwe match. “There’s been a lot of work done behind the scenes to try to get an official opposition to help us so we can be tested and it can be competitive.”
“We’ll be grateful for our neighbours, Zimbabwe Cricket, for availing themselves for this important fixture,” he added. “For us it goes beyond just the once-off Test. We’ve always had good relationships with Zimbabwe Cricket, and it’s something we want to keep building on.”
WTC final stakes high after long red-ball layoff
The Lord’s final on 11 June will be South Africa’s first Test since their dominant 10-wicket win over Pakistan at Newlands in early January. Without qualification for the WTC final, their next Test wouldn’t have come until late June—making this unexpected appearance even more vital for their red-ball continuity.
Thanks to deft negotiation and forward planning, South Africa’s road to Lord’s has been salvaged. But with Australia better rested and arguably better prepared, the Proteas will need every moment in Sussex to find rhythm—and belief.
As Nkwe put it: “We’re grateful to get it over the line.”
