South Africa add 8th uncapped player to their Test squad for New Zealand tour

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has added an eighth uncapped player to the Test squad for the two-match series against New Zealand as opener Edward Moore will travel with the touring party. Moore's inclusion comes in the wake of Tony de Zorzi's unavailability for international duty after landing a deal with the Durban Super Giants for SA20.

De Zorzi delivered a promising performance against India in the opening Test at Centurion, hitting 28 in the only innings the Proteas batted. However, the left-hander fell for single-figure scores (2&1) in both innings in Cape Town as the hosts lost by 8 wickets within two days. Nevertheless, de Zorzi has joined all the star players in skipping the Test series to make themselves available for SA20.

Moore, meanwhile, boasts of a strong first-class record, having mustered 7,743 runs in 117 fixtures, averaging a healthy 40.96 with 17 centuries. The current CSA 4-day series division 1 saw the right-hander muster 414 runs in 5 matches at 51.75 with two centuries.

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"SA20 has to happen because it is the lifeblood of South African cricket" - Shukri Conrad

Shukri Conrad. (Image Credits: Twitter)

Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad addressed the decision to send an undermanned squad, claiming that the Test team cannot play without SA20. He said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo:

"Our hand has been forced. Everybody understands the SA20 has to happen. SA20 has to happen because it is the lifeblood of South African cricket. If it doesn't happen, we are not going to have Test cricket anyway. We've got to find a way to coexist with the league, we've got to co-exist with leagues around the world to ensure the sustainability of the game."

While the series begins on February 4th, the Proteas will leave on Friday to give themselves enough time to familiarize themselves with the conditions. South Africa are currently 3rd in the WTC standings, with 1 win and 1 loss each.