India's on-off tour of South Africa was finally confirmed on Tuesday but failed to draw a line under a simmering row between the countries, as a leading players' body called the shortened series meaningless and harmful to the game.
The South Asian giants - currently the world's leading one-day international side and whose wealthy board effectively holds the global game's purse strings - had been due to play the number one-ranked Test team from November 18 in three Test matches, seven ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals.
But doubts about that schedule emerged when the BCCI announced arrangements for an incoming tour by the West Indies and a tour of New Zealand which clashed with the beginning and the end of the fixtures published by CSA.
The arrival of the Windies in a two-Test series will see India batting legend Sachin Tendulkar -- the highest run-scorer in Test history -- play his 200th and final Test before retirement.
South Africa and India will now play just two Tests and three ODIs, both boards said.
Lingering anger in India at the way CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat treated the country during his time in charge of the International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body was blamed for the stand-off.
But although CSA said Lorgat had now been "withdrawn" from dealing with India, the chief executive of the South African Cricketers' Association, Tony Irish, added fuel to the fire by lamenting the curtailed series and blasted the off-field wranglings.
"This is a huge blow not only to the players but also to the cricket-loving public of South Africa," he said in a statement.
"Everyone is now deprived of a meaningful series, especially in the Test format, between the world's top two cricket nations.
"I don't see how this can possibly be in the interests of either cricket in this country or of the global game. Cricket is the loser, plain and simple."
Irish added that CSA would suffer "massive" financial losses as a result of the row, which would impact on cricket at all levels in South Africa, from the grassroots upwards.
"It's a very sad day when international cricket becomes more about what happens off the field than what happens on it," he said, referring to the "compromise" deal over Lorgat thrashed out at a recent ICC meeting in London.
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