Tour of New Zealand beefs up Proteas’ summer calendar
18 July 2023 - 18:40
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Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad. Picture: ROGAN WARD/GALLO IMAGES
Proteas cricket fans can look forward to more summer action, albeit in New Zealand, after Cricket SA confirmed a two-Test series against New Zealand in February next year.
Coach Shukri Conrad’s men will face the Black Caps in the matches between February 4-17.
The series, which will be preceded by a three-day warm-up game in Christchurch, will form part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
The first Test is at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga (February 4-8), with a four-day break before the second encounter at Seddon Park in Hamilton from February 13-17.
The last time these two sides met, in 2022, the two-match series ended in a stalemate after the Proteas came back from an innings and 276-run loss in the opening match to draw the series 1-1, winning the second Test by 198 runs.
Cricket SA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said the tour would be a stern test of the Proteas’ credentials.
“This tour confirms Cricket SA’s commitment to honouring the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), regardless of other competing and equally compelling engagements,” said Moseki. “It is an affirmation of our appetite for Test matches, which we always delight in playing.”
By the time the first clash gets under way in the Bay of Plenty, the Proteas will have played only one Test series, at home against India in December and January.
On the other side of the coin, their itinerary of white-ball cricket is packed to the rafters as they clash with Australia and India in two inbound series.
They first welcome Australia for three T20 internationals between August 30 and September 3. All three matches will take place in Durban.
They then move on to an ODI series from September 7-17.
The first two matches will be played in Bloemfontein and then the teams move to Potchefstroom, before the series closes with the final two encounters in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The Australian series will be their last competitive action before they head to India for the World Cup, opening their campaign against Sri Lanka on October 7.
The World Cup finishes on November 19 and while SA’s ambitions will be to go on a deep run in the tournament, they will have precious little rest before returning home to prepare for the Indian limited overs matches in December.
India’s tour will comprise all the formats, starting with three T20 matches in Durban (December 10), Gqeberha (December 12) and Johannesburg (December 14).
The focus then shifts to a three-match ODI series in Johannesburg (December 17), Gqeberha (December 19) and Paarl (December 21).
The tour comes to a conclusion with Tests in Centurion (December 26-30) and Cape Town (January 3-7).
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Tour of New Zealand beefs up Proteas’ summer calendar
Proteas cricket fans can look forward to more summer action, albeit in New Zealand, after Cricket SA confirmed a two-Test series against New Zealand in February next year.
Coach Shukri Conrad’s men will face the Black Caps in the matches between February 4-17.
The series, which will be preceded by a three-day warm-up game in Christchurch, will form part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
The first Test is at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga (February 4-8), with a four-day break before the second encounter at Seddon Park in Hamilton from February 13-17.
The last time these two sides met, in 2022, the two-match series ended in a stalemate after the Proteas came back from an innings and 276-run loss in the opening match to draw the series 1-1, winning the second Test by 198 runs.
Cricket SA CEO Pholetsi Moseki said the tour would be a stern test of the Proteas’ credentials.
“This tour confirms Cricket SA’s commitment to honouring the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), regardless of other competing and equally compelling engagements,” said Moseki. “It is an affirmation of our appetite for Test matches, which we always delight in playing.”
By the time the first clash gets under way in the Bay of Plenty, the Proteas will have played only one Test series, at home against India in December and January.
On the other side of the coin, their itinerary of white-ball cricket is packed to the rafters as they clash with Australia and India in two inbound series.
They first welcome Australia for three T20 internationals between August 30 and September 3. All three matches will take place in Durban.
They then move on to an ODI series from September 7-17.
The first two matches will be played in Bloemfontein and then the teams move to Potchefstroom, before the series closes with the final two encounters in Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The Australian series will be their last competitive action before they head to India for the World Cup, opening their campaign against Sri Lanka on October 7.
The World Cup finishes on November 19 and while SA’s ambitions will be to go on a deep run in the tournament, they will have precious little rest before returning home to prepare for the Indian limited overs matches in December.
India’s tour will comprise all the formats, starting with three T20 matches in Durban (December 10), Gqeberha (December 12) and Johannesburg (December 14).
The focus then shifts to a three-match ODI series in Johannesburg (December 17), Gqeberha (December 19) and Paarl (December 21).
The tour comes to a conclusion with Tests in Centurion (December 26-30) and Cape Town (January 3-7).
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