image courtesy:anidigital/twitter
The confirmation has come from the BCCI AGM meeting as both boards BCCI and CSA agree on giving the green flag to the conduction of India’s tour to South Africa which will now consist of 3 tests and 3 ODIs later this month with 1st test taking place on December 26.
There were few question marks regarding the tour due to the sudden rise of the new covid variant in the African countries, as both the boards were in continuous communication with each other, monitoring the current situations.
The tour however has been trimmed and a few changes have been made. As per the decision, the 4 T20Is will not be part of this tour and are left to be played at a later date and the start of the 1st test which was scheduled for December 17 has now been shifted to December 26 with the venues for the series hasn’t been finalised yet.
CSA is keen for matches to be held only in the Gauteng area; consisting of Centurion, Wanderers, Newlands in Cape Town and Paarl as they’re short of options and limitations because of the Bio-security environment.
There’s a possibility that the 1st test which will be a boxing day test now, may not be held in Durban which is traditionally been hosting it over the years and Centurion seems to be hosting the opening test instead.
CSA is expected to announce the final schedule and venues within the next 48 hours. “CSA is also pleased to confirm that the allocation of match venues will still be in respect of the Bubble Safe Environment (BSEs) and therefore the decision on the allocations will take into account the need for safer playing environments,” it said.
INDIA TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA CONFIRMED ✅
CSA can confirm that the #SAvIND Tour will go ahead as originally planned but will be reduced 😁
3️⃣ Tests
3️⃣ ODIsThe 4 T20I matches will be rescheduled in the new year#BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/Kq6WY0fyuJ
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 4, 2021
Acting CSA CEO Pholetsi Moseki thanked his BCCI counterparts for their support in these tough times.
CSA had to postpone its domestic fixtures after some of the players tested positive for the virus on arrival.
However, the India A squad stayed on in South Africa raising hopes that the subsequent senior tour will go ahead.
The travel timings of the Indian team will be moved out by a week to allow hosts for effective logistical plannings. Meanwhile, the only concern for the Indian team is known to be the clarity on return as they might need to undergo institutional quarantine as per the government restrictions for the people coming from Omicron-hit nations.
