SA's WTC final preparation is set for smooth sailing after near disaster

The Proteas are expected to leave the Indian Premier League on 25 May in preparation for the World Test Championship final.

- By Keanan Hemmonsbey

The Proteas' preparations for the World Test Championship (WTC) final were almost jeopardised by the skirmishes between India and Pakistan that brought the countries to the brink of full-scale war. More than half of South Africa's WTC final squad are playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament was paused for 10 days after a crisis between the neighbouring Asian countries escalated temporarily, leading to missile strikes and other military attacks before a ceasefire was called, halting the fighting.

The IPL continued normally on Saturday, 17 May, without any matches being cancelled. The only concession was to extend the tournament by 10 days.

That normally wouldn't have a big influence on South African cricket, but South Africa will be playing their most important Test match in more than a decade when they face off against Australia in the WTC from 11 June at Lord's, England.

The IPL now ends on 3 June, the same date South Africa are expected to take on neighbours Zimbabwe in a four-day warm-up match in Sussex before heading to London for the WTC final.

But negotiations by the upper echelons of Cricket South Africa's (CSA's) hierarchy with the Board of Control for Cricket in India ensured that the eight players selected for the WTC final will leave the tournament on 25 May and join up with the WTC squad on 31 May in Arundel, West Sussex.

"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 told Daily Maverick.

"Players knew well in advance."

This means all eight players will miss the IPL play-offs with several sides still in contention for the trophy.