South Africa will not host any male testing in the next summer, according to the future tour program (FTP), and only an inbound tour – the five -match T20I Series – 2025–26 season against the West Indies. This is the first time after the reduction that South Africa will not host men's tests with the next long-term home fixtures for October 2026 against Australia.
Lean schedule cricket will allow South Africa to focus on upgradation of the stadium before the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be co-condemned by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Many major grounds of the country will have makeovers including new floodlights and drop-in pitches, which will be well prepared ahead of time and tested before the main event.
It will also provide spotlight to South African women, as they host Ireland and Pakistan, three T20I and three to Odis. They will play matches at all the big five places in South Africa: Newlands in Cape Town, St. George Park in Gakeburha, Wanderrs in Johannesburg, Supersport Park in Centurion and Kingsmade in Durban
The women's team will visit small centers of Paarl, Benoni, East London, Potchefstroom, Bloemfontein and Kimberley, as well as, which means they will do one match on all major grounds of the country in the same season. The Pakistan series also marks the first round of the new women's championship cycle, which reaches the 2029 ODI World Cup.
“We are eager to take our women to Ireland and Pakistan,” CSA CEO Folatesi Moseki said in a release. “These tours not only provide strong competition to our team, but also give our fans a chance to compete at their favorite places across the country.
White-ball sides of South Africa along with the tour of Australia and England in August and September and with the Test team playing a two-match chain in Pakistan and India in November and India, Moski explained the men's international window as “abnormally low in the next season in the next season.”
The absence of home tests has allowed the SA20 to be moved to the festive window for the first and only time. It will be played between 26 December to 26 January, with the West Indies series immediately followed. The five matches are spread between the coastal places and the highveld, but neither GQeberha nor Durban will host a game. Therefore, South African players will have six weeks of T20 cricket before the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, which begins in February.
The CSA has also arranged for a tour against New Zealand A, which will include three -day matches and two four -day matches at the beginning of summer. Sports will be played in Pretoria and Potchefstroom.
The lack of home tests in the next summer will be after a boon in the 2026-27 season when the men of South Africa and Bangladesh will host England and Australia for two matches, while the women's team will play tests against India and Australia for a total of 10 tests.
Firdose Moonda is a reporter of Espncricinfo for South Africa and women's cricket
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