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South Africa are highly unlikely to have any joy in their attempt to prevent the proposals for a shake-up of world cricket – supported by England, Australia and India – even being discussed at a board meeting of the International Cricket Council.
They have been strikingly snubbed in the proposals from the ICC's financial and commercial affairs committee, despite being top of the world test rankings, cast aside by the Big Three among the "other seven".
It prompted Chris Nenzani, the chairman of Cricket South Africa, to release an open letter to the ICC president Alan Isaac late on Monday suggesting that the proposals should be "withdrawn immediately" because they are "fundamentally flawed".
The ICC has seen no need to amend the simple statement it issued when details of the proposals emerged over the weekend.
"The recommendations, which have been put together by a working group, are to be discussed by the full F&CA and ICC board when it meets in Dubai from 27-29 January. The ICC will only make a comment on this matter once the board has had the opportunity to meet and properly consider the proposals."
It is understood that the ICC constitution permits any of its members to make a proposal at a board meeting, and this proposal is coming from England, India and Australia.
The England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed that the Middlesex off-spinner Ollie Rayner will join the Lions for their tour of Sri Lanka in place of Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan. Both Lancashire and the ECB have stressed that Kerrigan's absence is owing to a back injury, rather than any lasting scars from the mauling he suffered on his Test debut against Australia at The Oval last August, and say he still hopes to join the tour at a later stage.
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