Cricket South Africa on Tuesday announced that Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan will tour the country during the upcoming summer season of cricket.
The organisation released a complete schedule of the Proteas’ international commitments for the 2020-21 season, one South African cricket fans can certainly feel excited about.
With England already confirmed to face the Proteas on South African soil in November, Sri Lanka will conduct a two-Test tour over the festive period, before Australia arrive in March for three red-ball matches of their own.
Pakistan will then round off the season with a limited-overs tour, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is.
Centurion will host the opening Test match between the Proteas and Sri Lanka starting on Boxing Day (26-30 December), while the Wanderers will be the new venue for the annual New Years’ Test (3-7 January).
CSA also confirmed that a security delegation has been established to assess the possibility of the Proteas conducting their first tour in over a decade to Pakistan next year.
The group will head to Pakistan this coming weekend and revert back to CSA with its findings.
‘We are delighted to announce the schedule of men’s international cricket for the home season,’ said CSA acting CEO Kugandrie Govender.
‘It is an absolute pleasure to deliver more good news for our cricket-loving fans to consume, following last week’s confirmed tour against England and domestic season launch.
‘The Covid-19 pandemic predictably forced many changes to the ICC Future Tours Programme (FTP) and the traditional sequencing of scheduling matches in South Africa this season. This is why I am particularly proud of today’s announcement. It comes as a result of many hours of dedication, negotiation and hard work by individuals behind the scenes to ensure that our fans have an exciting lineup of cricket to look forward to throughout the summer and, although the matches will be played behind closed doors, we will have enough entertainment to make them feel as though they are a part of match-day activities.’
The tours will give the Proteas team a proper chance to gain valuable points in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League (CWCSL) and the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) after a difficult 2019-20 campaign.
‘It is an important season for all of the formats of our beautiful game, with players having a lot to play for no matter the team they are selected in. The KFC T20 Internationals will provide important preparation and a platform for selectors to monitor South Africa’s best ahead of the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in October and November in India,’ added Govender.
‘The Betway ODI series presented by Momentum will play a vital part in our team’s chances of direct qualification for the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and the Betway Test series will offer a home-ground advantage as our team looks to make headway on the ICC Test Championship points table.
‘All of this, while we continue to investigate the possibility of a historic return to Pakistan in the near future.
‘Finally, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks, on behalf of CSA, to the boards of England, Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan for their agreement to these tours and assisting us in bringing the beautiful game to the South African public under the “new normal” that Covid-19 has presented us. I am certain that we will be thoroughly entertained by very competitive displays of cricket,’ Govender concluded.
England men’s tour to South Africa
27 November: 1st T20I South Africa vs England, Newlands, Cape Town
29 November: 2nd T20I South Africa vs England, Boland Park, Paarl
1 December: 3rd T20I South Africa vs England, Newlands, Cape Town
4 December: 1st ODI South Africa vs England, Newlands, Cape Town
6 December: 2nd ODI South Africa vs England, Boland Park, Paarl
9 December: 3rd ODI South Africa vs England, Newlands, Cape Town
Sri Lanka men’s tour to South Africa
26-30 December: 1st Test match South Africa vs Sri Lanka, SuperSport Park, Centurion
3-7 January: 2nd Test match South Africa vs Sri Lanka, Imperial Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
