Walter argued that is in the inevitable consequence of trying to deepen the player pool.
Since Walter took over in February 2023, South Africa have played seven bilateral T20I series and not won any of them, which he acknowledged is an “incredibly difficult,” thing to accept. But it may be made easier with the knowledge that he is also the only coach to oversee the men’s team to a major tournament final, at this year’s T20 World Cup.
Asked to explain the discrepancy between their bilateral form and the tournament success, Walter did not miss a beat. “The easy answer is that when we go to the world tournaments, we’re picking our very best 15 players but we can’t pick those same 15 players every single time we play. It’s just not feasible. It’s just too much cricket. So, the rest of the time we have to build our base of players up to be to the same level, which is what you’re seeing with the Indian side, right?”
Only four of the XI that won the T20 World Cup in June were part of the Indian squad that beat South Africa in this series, which speaks as much to the quality of their depth as it does to the concern with South Africa’s and Walter recognised that.
“Their fringe players are stepping up and creating pressure on the guys that are in main XI,” he said. “Ultimately, if you look at the stats around the number of players used by the different international sides, they all sit in the same space over the last two years, in between 30 and 36 players roughly. Everyone’s attempting to do the same thing because the cricket landscape is actually the same for everyone.”
And that’s where he may stand corrected, to some extent. India are the only country who do not have to concern themselves with losing players to franchise leagues because they do not allow their active players to compete anywhere but the IPL, which offers sufficient compensation. South Africa, whose home currency, the Rand, is the weakest among SENA countries, are at particular risk of their players opting for hard currency payments in leagues abroad and the two biggest examples are Nortje and Shamsi. Both opted out of central contracts this year – Nortje partly because he wanted to manage which formats he played as he came back from a severe injury – and though they are available for South Africa, there is also a need to look elsewhere.
“A guy like Anrich, I certainly wouldn’t doubt his want to play for South Africa and his commitment to do that. But he made a decision personally around contracting so that he could move away from playing Test cricket for a while. I think physically he was finding it a bit tough to do everything and I respect that,” Walter said. “At the end of the day, when it comes to the world tournaments, we want to pick our best side. And if he is one of those best players, we consider him. Shammo has done exactly the same thing. We need to be cognisant of what’s happening in world cricket. It’s not easy and the national side is competing with franchise cricket. The money lies in franchise cricket, not international cricket. That’s the reality that we live in.”
There was an audible sigh before he finished that thought. “And so, again, the balancing act continues.”
Joseph was the vice-captain before he missed the South Africa series and the selectors had named Joshua Da Silva as Kraigg Brathwaite’s deputy in the interim. But even after Joseph’s return for the upcoming series, Da Silva has been retained as vice-captain in the latest 15-man squad.
The two Tests will start on November 22 in Antigua and on November 30 in Jamaica. Before that, Brathwaite will also lead a CWI Select XI, from a squad of 13, for the two-day warm-up against Bangladesh for November 17 and 18 at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.
Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Joshua Da Silva (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Kevin Sinclair, Jomel Warrican
Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), Justin Greaves (vice-capt), Ryan Bandoo, Daniel Beckford, Navian Bidaisee, Joshua Dorne, Nathan Edward, Chaim Holder, Tevin Imlach, Jordan Johnson, Jair McAllister, Shaaron Lewis, Kimani Melius
Manjrekar said it was a “poor supply of technology” and that the TV umpire shouldn’t have asked the on-field umpire to overturn the decision if it was inconclusive.
“First of all, disappointed with what was provided to the TV umpire,” Manjrekar said on Star Sports. “He should have got more evidence. Based on just a couple of angles, I don’t think such an important decision in the match should have been made. My point is, with the naked eye there’s only one certainty and that’s the pad being hit by the bat. It’s the only visual certainty we’ve got that with the naked eye. For everything else, you needed the aid of technology, which is Snicko.
“So ideally, if there was bat, as an edge to the ball, there should have been an earlier spike because clearly two events there, and the umpire obviously heard one noise. The visual certainty was bat hitting the pad. If that was the spike, then there wasn’t an outside edge. If we were shown two spikes, then you could say the first one was the bat. So it was a poor supply of technology to TV umpire, and he should have said he can’t nail it.”
Manjrekar also called the moment a “travesty” considering India’s position in the match.
“If there weren’t two spikes, they should have gone with the visual evidence which was bat hitting the pad. I think it was poor all around, and I don’t blame the on-field umpire. You got to feel for KL Rahul, the amount of hard work that’s been put opening the innings. And such a big moment personally for him when you look at his career and for India too. Travesty in a way.”
“Umpires are looking for conclusive evidence. There were a few gremlins at the start of that review, being the first Test where he didn’t get some camera angles he was asking for,” Taufel said on the Channel Seven broadcast. “Richard Illingworth had a tough job there, but this camera angle is probably the best one for me, it shows that the ball does graze the outside edge. In my view the ball does graze the outside edge which has caused the scuff marks, but then the bat goes on to hit the pad. So I think from a batter’s perspective, they are looking to see that evidence on the big screens as the decision is made. I think that’s exactly why KL Rahul has a question mark on his mind and Richard Kettleborough as well. I imagine there will be an interesting discussion in the umpires room in the lunch break.”
Saturday’s Sheffield Shield round will begin two weeks of commemorations for Hughes, whose life was tragically cut short days before his 26th birthday in 2014.
Officials have adopted a uniform approach across the board, with Hughes’ former team South Australia to face Western Australia in Adelaide from Saturday.
Hughes’ childhood team New South Wales will also host Tasmania at the SCG from Sunday, while Queensland and Victoria play at the Gabba.
Players will wear black armbands in all three games, while a moment’s silence will also be observed before play on day four of all matches.
For the Sydney and Brisbane matches, Wednesday’s final day of play will coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Hughes’ death on November 27, 2014.
Officials have opted to use the Adelaide Test between Australia and India as the best time to celebrate Hughes with the national team, while sharing their plans with his family.
His passing will be marked when that match begins on December 6, almost 10 years to the day since Test cricket resumed in Australia after Hughes’ death. CA has filmed a documentary in conjunction with Hughes’ family to mark the occasion, which will be broadcast before play in that Test.
Many column inches have also already been dedicated to the opener, who played 26 Tests for Australia and was earmarked as a long-term fixture in the side.
“We understand this will be a time of reflection for the many people who knew and admired Phillip Hughes,” Cricket Australia CEO Nick Hockley said. “We wanted to ensure that the Hughes family, particularly, were comfortable with any commemorations and that we celebrate Phillip’s life and incredible achievements appropriately.”
Hughes’ death two days after he was struck in the neck by a ball at the SCG in 2014 remains one of the most difficult periods in cricket history. The Macksville junior was one of the most popular members of the national team, and remains close to the heart of several Australian players.
Off the field, his legacy remains strong, with Hughes’ family still involved in his angus cattle farm Four 0 Eight on the NSW north coast.
Cricket initially found itself at a loss of how to play on, with Hughes having been set to bat his way back into the Australian team when not out on 63 at the SCG.
He was posthumously named as Australia’s 13th man for the rejigged first Test in Adelaide, where 63 seconds of applause were observed before play.
Stumps Tasmania 394 for 5 (Weatherald 186, Doran 101, Ward 51, Whitney 2-103) vs Queensland
Doran, the 27-year-old, resumed day two on his overnight score of 86, and made 101 in 112 balls as the Tigers progressed to a commanding 394 for 5.
Only 9.1 overs were possible on Saturday before driving rain settled in above Allan Border Field and continued until play was called off mid-afternoon.
Doran brought up his century off 101 deliveries with a delightful late cut off Bryce Street to the third boundary.
The new ball moved around under heavy skies and Mark Steketee troubled Doran before luring him into a drive that was snaffled by wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson.
Beau Webster (17 not out) was looking composed but unable to kick on due to the weather.
Fine conditions are forecast for Sunday with Tasmania the only team in a position to push for a win with a declaration expected overnight. The Tigers bowlers will need to take 20 wickets and restrict the hosts to meagre totals if they are to record their first win of the season.
In an unprecedented move, the IPL has released the dates for the next three seasons. IPL 2025 will start on March 14 with the final on May 25. The 2026 season will be played between March 15 and May 31, while the 2027 season will be between March 14 and May 30.
In the tender document for the new rights cycle, the IPL had listed a varying number of matches per season: ranging from 74 games each in 2023 and 2024, 84 matches each in 2025 and 2026, and a maximum of 94 games for the final year of the deal in 2027.
Overseas players signal full availability
In a major boost to franchises, overseas players from most Full Member countries have got a nod from their individual boards to play for the next three years in the IPL. This does not include Pakistan, whose players have not featured in IPL since the inaugural season in 2008 due to the political stalemate between the governments of both countries.
Following is the country-wise availability of overseas players for the next three IPL seasons between 2025 and 2027 as listed by IPL in the e-mail:
Australia: Cricket Australia (CA) has given clearance to all its players – both international and domestic – to feature in the 2025 season. In 2026, Australia will feature in a three-match ODI series in Pakistan which CA revealed will be “concluding no later than March 18”. Australian players participating in that series as well as those resting after the T20 World Cup (scheduled in India and Sri Lanka in February-March 2026) will join the IPL after the Pakistan tour. In 2027, Australian players featuring in the one-off Test between Australia and England in March to commemorate 150 years of Test cricket, will join after the match.
England: The ECB has submitted a list of 18 centrally contracted players who will be fully available for the next three IPL seasons. One big name missing from this list includes England Test captain Ben Stokes, who did not enter the 2025 IPL mega auction. The list of players who will be fully available between 2025 and 2027 includes: Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Olly Stone and Reece Topley.
The ECB has pointed out that a few of these players will be “out of contract” at some point during the 2025-27 period, but while they are contracted they will be available to play in the IPL. England’s non-centrally contracted players will be fully available for the next three seasons.
South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe: Players from these countries will be fully available.
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has said its players will be fully available for the 2025 season. Those retained ahead of 2026 and 2027 will be available again.
Bangladesh: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent 13 names with varying availability for each player across the three-year period. The list includes: Taskin Ahmed, Litton Kumar Das, Mahedi Hasan, Shakib Al Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Towhid Hridoy, Shoriful Islam, Shohidul Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mustafizur Rahman, Nahid Rana, Tanzim Hasan Sakib
New South Wales 394 (Patterson 71, Maddinson 69, Davies 56, McAndrew 4-90) beat South Australia 110 (Hunt 30, Bird 7-46) and 283 (Lehmann 100, Kelly 59, Edwards 4-41, Bird 4-65) by an innings and 1 run
After claiming seven first-innings wickets to skittle the hosts for 110, Bird was a handful again with a four-wicket haul in the second innings at the Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide.
Despite the best efforts of Jake Lehmann, who scored his 11th first-class century, South Australia were unable to do enough to make NSW bat again.
It was the sixth 10-wicket match haul for Bird in a long and winding first-class career.
Bird’s previous five-wicket haul before he rocked South Australia on Thursday was back in March 2021, when he bagged 7-18 against the Blues while playing for Tasmania.
South Australia entered the match after beating NSW in the one-day cup match on Tuesday, and were previously undefeated in the Shield. But without Test keeper Alex Carey, who is preparing for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, SA suffered a major reality check in losing inside three days to a team on the rise.
Dropped from NSW’s Sheffield Shield side for most of last summer and fearing his career could be over, Patterson made it three straight half-centuries.
Stumps Western Australia 167 and 34 for 1 (Fanning 13*, Goodwin 10*, O’Neill 1-12) trail Victoria 373 (Rogers 76, Crone 62*, Handscomb 56, Paris 3-44, Gannon 3-59, Rocchiccioli 3-115) by 172 runs
Lower-order resistance helped Victoria claim a 206-run first-innings lead in their Sheffield Shield clash with three-time reigning champions Western Australia.
Victoria have set themselves up nicely to become the first team to beat WA in the Shield this season. WA are aiming to claim a fourth straight title, and were undefeated after three matches before they headed to Melbourne.
Adelaide Strikers 140 for 7 (Penna 60, Smith 3-18, Bryce 2-32) beat Hobart Hurricanes 102 (Villani 44, McGrath 4-13, Schutt 2-14, Anesu Mushangwe 2-18) by 38 runs
Hurricanes opener Lizelle Lee entered the match on the back of scores of 150 not out and 103. But she was out caught behind for just eight in the second over when she attempted to belt Orla Prendergast down the ground.
They were, however, on track for victory at 63 for 1 in the ninth over, but a collapse of nine wickets for 39 runs spelt the end for them. The result left third-placed Hurricanes nursing a 4-4 record with just two games remaining before the finals.
Strikers (2-6) are still last, but the defending champions were happy after finally snapping their five-match losing run.
“It’s been a long time coming, and it’s so good we can get a win,” Penna told Fox Sports. “To get it at home in front of our fans is so nice. We have really loyal fans here. Sometimes when you’re losing, you don’t have those people who back you. But we know our fans here at Adelaide back us in whether we’re winning or losing. It’s really good we could get a win for them.”
McGrath was also thrilled with the win. “It’s been a really tough season,” she said. “We haven’t quite been up to our standard, and cricket is a brutal game when you’re not at your standards.
“We’re still trying to get something out of this season. It is really tough at times, but it’s easy to smile when you have games like that.”
Strikers were in all sorts of trouble at 45 for 4 after eight overs when Penna strolled to the crease. Things were still precariously placed at 109 for 6 in the 16th over when Penna was dropped on 44. She received another life – on the same score – and made the most of it by guiding Strikers to the full 20 overs.
Penna’s innings, which featured six fours and two sixes, only came to an end when she was run out on the final ball.
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