South Africa to tour Pakistan after 14 years next month

Cape Town:Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Wednesday confirmed that the men's team will tour Pakistan in January 2021 for two Tests and three T20Is.

This will be South Africa's first visit to Pakistan since the 2007 tour when they won the Karachi Test by 160 runs to clinch the series 1-0. The subsequent series in 2010 and 2013 were played in the United Arab Emirates.The Proteas are set to arrive in Pakistan on January 16 and will go into quarantine before training. 

They will play intra-squad games before the first Test begins at the National Stadium in Karachi on January 26. The Test series will be a part of the ICC World Test Championship. The second of the two Test series, will start on February 4 at Rawalpindi and will subsequently be followed by South Africa's first-ever T20I series in Pakistan, which will see all the three games played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.Pakistan have hosted three other teams in recent times with Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe all touring the country.

''It's pleasing to see so many countries making a return to Pakistan - a proud, cricket-loving nation. Cricket South Africa is delighted to be counted among them. As someone who has toured the country on more than one occasion back in my playing days, I know how much passion the people of Pakistan have for the game as well as the love and support that the Proteas enjoy there as a team,'' Graeme Smith, CSA Director of Cricket, said.

Commenting on the announcement of the series, PCB Director Zakir Khan said: "The home series against South Africa will complete the process for full resumption and restoration of international cricket in Pakistan, which started in 2015. However, the process got the real shot in the arm in the 2019-2020 season when Pakistan hosted Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Marylebone Cricket Club as well as the HBL Pakistan Super League 2020.''

"2020 has been a challenging year for the world sport, but the PCB has approached the season proactively and strategically while looking at the future. Consequently, we have been able to successfully deliver nearly 60 per cent of matches in the 2020-21 season, including an international series against Zimbabwe, who returned home extremely happy and satisfied with the operational and logistical arrangements we had put in place.

As has been the case in the ongoing season, we will leave no stone unturned in the health and safety of South Africa and Pakistan sides so that players from both sides can play their best cricket in the Test and T20I series and entertain the fans across the globe with their skills," he added.

Schedule: 

January 26-30: 1st Test, Karachi

February 4-8: 2nd Test, Rawalpindi

February 11: 1st T20I, Lahore

February 13 : 2nd T20I, Lahore

February 14 : 3rd T20I, Lahore

(UNI)