Captain Dean Elgar seems upset with his teammates as most of them preferred to abide by the contract of their respective franchises in the Indian Premier League.
Notably, the schedule of IPL games and Bangladesh series clashes for the international team South Africa and Elgar wonders to think about his player’s judgment on their preferences and priorities.
Elgar stated in a press conference on March 4 that he expects those of his players with IPL contracts to postpone their departure for the competition in order to play in the Bangladesh series. “It’s a tough one leaving that [decision] up to the players, but this is how we’ll see where their loyalty lies,” he said. “They mustn’t forget that Test and one-day cricket got them into the IPL, not the other way around.”
He also said: “I can’t take the field without my best side, to give ourselves the best chance. I need my best players.” And: “You don’t want players to miss out on a big occasion like the IPL, by no means. But I’d still like to think playing for your country is bigger than that.” And: “We can’t have our best players around when the team is called upon to go out and perform.”