South Africa's cricket team is set to face Australia in three T20Is and five ODIs at various stadiums across the country, in preparation for the ODI World Cup, which will be held in India in October-November. Cricket South Africa (CSA) made the announcement on Friday.
Kingsmead Stadium in Durban will host all three T20Is on August 30, September 1, and 3. The five-match ODI series will kick off at Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein on September 7 and 9. The third ODI will take place at JB Marks Oval on September 12. The fourth ODI is scheduled for September 15 at SuperSport Park, while the final match of the series will be played at Wanderers Stadium on September 17.
The Australian side is set to be led by a new captain following Aaron Finch's international retirement earlier this year. This will be South Africa's first time hosting Australia since 2020, when they defeated the visitors 3-0 in the ODI series, following a 2-1 T20I series loss.
Pholetsi Moseki, CEO of CSA, expressed excitement at the upcoming tour, saying that "games and tours like these against a formidable Australia side can only do good for our Proteas Men. It is also an opportunity for coach Rob Walter and his team to keep building on the excellent work they have already done so far together."
The upcoming tour is particularly crucial for South Africa since they have not yet qualified for the ODI World Cup. South Africa withdrew from three matches against Australia in January 2020 due to a scheduling conflict with their new domestic SA20 league, which could affect their direct qualification into the tournament. If Ireland wins all three ODIs against Bangladesh next week, South Africa will be playing in the qualifying tournament in Zimbabwe in June-July.
Moseki emphasized the importance of the upcoming tour, saying, "It is the start of the international season for us and it is a particularly important campaign in many respects because of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup which is taking place in India later in the year. We haven't qualified just yet, but we hope to be there and challenge the best in the world when the tournament is played in October and November."