The former Australia captain Steve Waugh raised concerns on his official Instagram account about the health of Test cricket in the aftermath of South Africa naming a second-string squad for their tour to New Zealand in February. The  58-year-old wanted ICC and the cricket boards of India, Australia, and England to step in to protect Test cricket.

Also Read: Neil Brand to debut as South Africa Test captain; CSA announces squad for New Zealand tour

Notably, Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced a 14-member squad for the two-match Test series in February, captained by Neil Brand, who is yet to make his debut in the longest format of the game. There are seven uncapped players in the Protea squad because the CSA ruling states that no player contracted to the SA20 franchise is eligible for Test selection.

After learning about South Africa’s second-string Test squad, Steve Waugh took to his official Instagram account to post a screenshot of it, along with his thoughts about the implications of the CSA ruling on the longest format of the game. He wrote, “Is this a defining moment in the death of Test cricket. Surely the ICC along the cricket boards of India, England and Australia must step in to protect the purest form of the game.”

“A premium, equal match fee for all Test teams must be a good starting point. History and tradition must count for something. If we stand by and allow profits to be the defining criteria, the legacy of Bradman, Grace and Sobers will be irrelevant,” he added.

Afterwards, Steve Waugh spoke about CSA’s decision with the Sydney Morning Herald and said, “Obviously, they don't care. It's going to happen if the South African cricket board are any indication of the future, keeping their best players at home. If the ICC or someone doesn't step in shortly then Test cricket doesn't become Test cricket because you're not testing yourself against the best players. I understand why players don't come. They're not getting paid properly.”

The former ODI World Cup winner from 1987 also added, “I don't understand why ICC or the top countries, who are making a lot of money, don't just have a regulation set fee for Test matches which is a premium, so people are incentivised to play Test cricket. Otherwise, they just play T10 or T20. The public are the ones who are going to suffer because it's not the full side playing, so it's not Test cricket.”