Proteas captain Faf du Plessis is relishing at the prospect of competing in the inaugural ICC World Test Championship which is poised to get underway on Thursday.
The new format will present an exciting challenge for Du Plessis and his men and it is something the skipper is looking forward to as the Proteas begin their bid to become the ICC World Test Champions.
They start with the demanding task of playing away from home against No 1-ranked India as they look to defend the Freedom Trophy.
“The ICC Test Championship is something new and quite exciting,” said Du Plessis. “We have longed to have something to play for that gives proper context to Test cricket.
The Proteas have had some cracking contests in bilateral series over the last couple of years, and going forward, the stakes are high because every series matters over two years with it culminating in a Final at Lord’s.
“It’s refreshing as the players we are looking forward to this new chapter of Test cricket,” says the Proteas skipper.
“We have a tough assignment to start with against India away playing for the Freedom series. We beat them at home last season but playing against India on their home grounds is probably one of the toughest challenges for an international player.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/faf1307?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@faf1307gives his thoughts on the newly launched ICC World Test Championship #ProteaFire #ICCTestChampionship #INDvSA #SAvENG pic.twitter.com/BkvJ2L5scx
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA)
"We then have the current world champions England at home. This is always a cracker of a series during our summer and one that we look forward to. We probably have the toughest start, but everyone will play everyone, so it doesn’t really matter.”
The World Test Championship will be the World Cup of Test cricket, similar to the ODI and T20 World Cups, and will feature the world’s top nine Test-playing nations.
Each team will play six of the other eight teams over the next two years. Every victory, every loss and every draw will count in the league standings.
Two nations will rise above the rest and in June 2021, the true champion of Test cricket will be named.
Cricket fans can see them live all over South Africa from December 26 to February 16, 2020, with the opening Test match on December 26-30 at SuperSport Park in Centurion followed by the New Year’s Day Test from January 3-7 at PPC Newlands.
The third Test will be at St George’s Park in PE between January 16-20 and the finale will be back on the highveld at the Bidvest Wanderers in Johannesburg from January 16-20.
African News Agency