FAQs: What to expect as 3TC makes its debut

Well, three-team cricket is what it is, but that can't mean much to you unless you have been following the updates from the first day. In case you don't, here's the lowdown.

Hopefully that makes sense, even if it's a bit difficult to visualise it. But it might be fun. The tournament website promises "an unrelenting and ever-changing contest that keeps captains (and fans) on a knife-edge as they strategise against two opponents at the same time". It will be quite frenetic, that's for sure.

Also, DYK: Graeme Smith and Mark Boucher were involved in the developmental phase of the format.

Of the three captains named at the start, only de Villiers remains. Kagiso Rabada was originally named captain of Kingfishers, but dropped out because of the death of a family member, and was replaced as the captain by Heinrich Klaasen. But on the eve of the game, Klaasen was replaced by Reeza Hendricks as the organisers lent their support to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Then, on the morning of the match*, it was announced that de Kock, the original captain of Kites, was out because of personal reasons, and had been replaced by Temba Bavuma.

Here's what the squads look like at the end of all the updates, including Kingfishers losing the services of Chris Morris and Eagles Sisanda Magala.

Kingfishers: Reeza Hendricks (capt), Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Faf du Plessis, Thando Ntini, Gerald Coetzee, Glenton Stuurman, Tabraiz Shamsi
Coach: Mignon du Preez

Kites: Temba Bavuma (capt), Jon-Jon Smuts, David Miller, Dwaine Pretorius, Lutho Sipamla, Beuran Hendricks, Anrich Nortje, Ryan Rickleton
Coach: Wandile Gwavu

Eagles: AB de Villiers (capt), Aiden Markram, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Andile Phehlukwayo, Bjorn Fortuin, Junior Dala, Lungi Ngidi
Coach: Geoffrey Toyana

Erm…

Okay, first things first: the game is at Centurion, which is in Gauteng province, which is currently being seen as the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic in South Africa.

But Cricket South Africa is pretty confident of things working out fine. And here are a couple of experts, who might not have the same points of view, but give us a pretty good picture.

"The players were tested before they left their homes to enter the bubble which means the risk of asymptomatic carriers was addressed. It is expected that players will be asked symptom questions daily and will report if they are feeling unwell. Any further testing would be a waste of limited testing supplies" - Prof Ian Sanne

"The current government protocols do not ensure complete safety but we need to balance out the need to get the economy and sport going against the growing pandemic" - Dr Jason Suter

If you want more on the subject, or want some other details about the tournament and the players, here's what Firdose Moonda sent in earlier today.

Yes, and it might not have been a bad thing, considering the pandemic. Not that it's gone away, but still…

They had planned to have it on June 27, but the South African government scuppered those plans because CSA hadn't obtained the necessary approvals from the sports ministry. CSA also required an approval from the country's department of health, which it didn't have at that stage. As reported by ESPNcricinfo, CSA had jumped the gun in announcing the date, which came after Smith, the CSA director of cricket, announcing that all boxes had been ticked.

It's happening now, though, so all is well. And we hope it ends well too.

Indeed. It started in South African cricket with Lungi Ngidi, and has since snowballed into a big debate. Soon after Ngidi spoke of "making a stand", some former white cricketers, including prominent ones like Pat Symcox and Brian McMillan, criticised him for not bringing up the killings of predominantly white farmers in South Africa. Since then, some of the biggest names in the country have come out in support of Ngidi and BLM, including Hashim Amla and, in the latest update, Faf du Plessis and four other white Afrikaans cricketers.

On the eve of the game, Hendricks replaced Klaasen as Kingfishers' captain after the tournament organisers threw their support behind the Black Lives Matter movement. "It is important to stand by our convictions and to set the right example in everything we do," CSA Acting CEO Dr Jacques Faul said in a statement. "Cricket South Africa stands for equal opportunity and showcasing our country's talent and its diversity."

What should we expect to see on the field - well, no BLM logos on the shirts, it seems, because the kits had already been printed, but Smith did say last week that the players were thinking about innovative ways to show their support. Dwaine Pretorius and du Plessis have indicated that they would be taking a knee during the game. So enough to watch out for on Saturday, that's for sure.