South Africa named a 14-man Test squad for their 2-Test series in January-February with 7 uncapped players. Uncapped opening batter Neil Brand was named as the captain of the side which has a collective experience of 50 Tests. Notably, Brand might become only the second uncapped player to lead a Test team after New Zealand's Lee Germon in 1995 in the last 50 years.

South Africa began their cycle of World Test Championship 2023-25 with a dominant win over India in the Boxing Day Test in Centurion. The Proteas are taking on India with a full-strength team, but they have opted not to send some of their star players to New Zealand. The series in New Zealand is clashing with the second season of South Africa's premier domestic T20 league - SA20.

A significant number of players are now choosing the lucrative opportunities offered by these leagues over the traditional path of representing their national teams under central contracts. This shift is indicative of a broader transformation in the cricketing landscape, where the fast-paced, entertainment-rich format of T20 leagues is increasingly favored.

One of the most striking examples of this trend is New Zealand's Trent Boult, a formidable pace bowler known for his wicket-taking prowess across formats. Boult made headlines when he turned down a central contract from New Zealand Cricket just months before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

The West Indies, too, has seen a wave of its players opting for the T20 league route.

A study by the Federation of International Cricketers' Associations (FICA) revealed that over 49% of players would consider declining national contracts to focus on T20 leagues, highlighting the significant impact these leagues have on the sport.

Akshay Ramesh, Rounaq Sehrawat and Kingshuk Kusari discuss what is the future of the longest format of the game in the first episode of the New Year. 

Tune in!