CSA has taken a risk with an eye on “securing the long-term sustainability of the game” by forfeiting three ODIs in Australia, which form part of the direct-qualification pathway for the 50-over World Cup in India next year.

The reason for the forfeiture is to launch its own T20 franchise league, but there is acknowledgement that not qualifying for the World Cup will be “a disaster”.

“The players are disappointed that the ODIs in Australia will not happen but they understand the reasons,” Pholetsi Moseki, CSA’s chief executive, told ESPNcricinfo. “A lot of people are investing a lot of money in the T20 league, and we have to give it the best chance of success.”

Moseki spoke to head coach Mark Boucher and white-ball captain Temba Bavuma first, and also had a 45-minute meeting with the entire squad, including Test captain Dean Elgar. “They were not exactly happy but they understood the long-term importance of the decision,” Moseki said.

South Africa are currently 11th in the World Cup Super League points table and have eight matches left to play. These are against India (three, away) and Netherlands (two, at home – the first game of the series was washed out, and the remaining games were postponed because of COVID-19). South Africa’s upcoming ODIs in England are not part of the Super League, though the ones in South Africa in February 2023 are.

After opting out of the Australia fixtures, they face the possibility of a qualifying campaign in Zimbabwe in June-July next year.

“We still want bilateral cricket to be supreme but the reality for countries like us is that you only make money when you play India. In the pre-COVID year, in 2019, we hosted England and Australia and we still made a loss. So we have to look at other options”

In the meeting, it was explained to the players that CSA has identified setting up the T20 league as a “top priority”, according to Lawson Naidoo, CSA’s board chair. And that the tournament, which aims to be the second-biggest in the world after the IPL, needs everyone’s buy-in when it launches in January 2023.

“We need all our top players available to satisfy team owners and guarantee the integrity of the league,” Naidoo told ESPNcricinfo.

Naidoo further said CSA had presented Cricket Australia with “various options” to play the matches at a different time.