The South African cricket team is expected to tour Sri Lanka for a white-ball series for the very first time since 2018. The Proteas will play three ODIs and as many T20s starting from September 2. The tour was confirmed by both the boards on July 30 (Friday).
"We are delighted to have another tour confirmed for the Proteas men's team with the ICC T20 World Cup just around the corner," CSA Acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
"Playing against quality opposition in the subcontinent is the best way for our team to prepare for this event and we are grateful to Sri Lanka Cricket for accommodating us during this time of the year where schedules are highly condensed.
"With an ICC white-ball world event in each year of the next three, game time is golden for every team and we are looking forward to watching our team play as they continue to add to the building blocks of their 2021 T20 World Cup preparation,” Moseki added.
In their previous tour to Sri Lanka, South Africa managed to win the ODI series by a 3-2 margin while the hosts managed to win the only T20I. Both these teams are in a transitional phase. While Sri Lanka managed to win their fist bilateral series since 2019, South Africa also won their previous T20I series against the defending world T20I champions West Indies and is hoping to continue their good work in the white-ball format.
This particular tour will serve as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup slated to be held in UAE between October-November. With so many new names across both teams, both teams will be seeking new options going forward in the showpiece event.
Itinerary:
Thursday, 02 September - 1st ODI
Saturday, 04 September - 2nd ODI
Tuesday, 07 September - 3rd ODI
Friday, 10 September - 1st T20I
Sunday, 12 September - 2nd T20I
Tuesday, 14 September - 3rd T20I