India and South Africa are set to throw a two-year spanner into the carefully planned workings of the ICC Test Championship, by skipping their scheduled series this November in favour of an elongated one-day tournament.

South Africa's last tour of India in October 2000 was also a shortened affair, when Hansie Cronje led them to a series win over just two Tests in what proved to be his last matches in charge. Four years on, and there won't even be time for that many, as the BCCI has asked South Africa to play seven one-day internationals and forego the Test series.

"One of the many problems with doing that is when we will actually fit the series in," said Brian Basson, the South African board's director of playing affairs. "The next available gap when we are both free doesn't come until March and April 2006. The international calendar is so crowded these days, and this tour has been even more squeezed by India's desire to maximise the tour by Australia immediately before we arrive.

"Given the recent history between the teams it's understandable," admitted Basson. "It's international protocol for teams to reciprocate the number of one-dayers and Tests they played on the last 'away' tour between the countries, and India played seven in South Africa so they are looking at us doing the same in November. There certainly wouldn't be time for any Test matches if we do that.

"As an international fixture planner I can assure you the job is becoming more and more difficult," he concluded. "Sometimes it's impossible."

Wisden Comment by Steven Lynch
Traditionalists everywhere will shudder at the suggestion that "there wouldn't be time for any Test matches" if teams will insist on playing so many one-day internationals. The bare minimum of two Tests would only take a fortnight, after all. But more importantly this situation, if true, shows up some glaring anomalies in the ICC's workings. England have been threatened with suspension from international cricket if they dare to cancel their tour of Zimbabwe later this year, as the ICC's ten-year touring programme (and its unnecessarily complicated Test Championship) is sacrosanct. And yet here are India apparently declining to play their scheduled Tests against South Africa - the same India who a couple of weeks ago cancelled a planned tour of Bangladesh because their players were too tired. Maybe that's the trick the English board missed: if they claimed their players were too tired to go to Zimbabwe, would that be all right then?