Our Test team is playing a two-Test series, which is ridiculous: Klaasen

The unequal distribution of matches among all Test teams has become a glaring problem in world cricket at the moment. While the top three teams, India, England, and Australia, walk away with the biggest pie and, hence, more games against each other, teams like South Africa, Pakistan, and New Zealand have been devoid of such opportunities.

Earlier this year, India played a two-match Test series against South Africa but will conclude with a five-match Test series against Australia before taking on England in a five-match Test series. With India leading the four-match T20I series against South Africa 2-1, Heinrich Klaasen suggested that having a five-match series would have been good before pointing out the larger issue at play.

"That's the nature of where we are as South African cricket. We don't play five-match series anymore,” Klaasen said after their 11-run defeat in Centurion. 

"How nice would it be if we win on Friday, and then we have another game on Sunday, going into it two-all?

"Our Test team is playing two-Test series, which is ridiculous in my eyes. It's disappointing, and it doesn't sit well with the players because we want to play more cricket against these guys, and against the other countries as well, but we always find a way to just play two games or three games, and it's annoying."

"You see India are playing this Friday and next Friday, which is incredible, on two different sides of the world," the Saffer added.

Aiden Markram once again failed to make his start counting, being dismissed for 29 to Varun Chakaravarthy after hitting him for two consecutive sixes. The frustration on his face was visible, for Markram has gone 12 innings without crossing 30. Klaasen backed his skipper to perform well very soon.

"If I put your career, as whatever job anyone does, on the table, and I said, 'if you make one mistake, and that's the end,' you will be frustrated if you make a mistake. Not that his career is at all on the line, by the way," he said. 

"I'm just saying people need to understand that that's what we go through. It's in the heat of the moment. There's a billion people that are going to be on your head if you fail. There's a lot of frustration and he was looking fantastically in the way that he struck the ball tonight. It's nice to see that he's finding some rhythm in his game, and hopefully he will kick on."

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