South African cricket fans can rejoice! The upcoming 2024-25 home season promises a thrilling schedule featuring international matchups against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and England.
Men’s Team Faces Off in World Test Championship Matches
The highlight of the season will be four Test matches, all crucial encounters within the ongoing World Test Championship. Sri Lanka and Pakistan will be the visitors, with each series consisting of two Tests. Durban and Gqeberha will host the Sri Lankan leg, while Centurion and Cape Town will witness the battles against Pakistan. Notably, the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg will miss out on hosting a Test for the second consecutive year, leaving fans in the city disappointed.
South Africa’s Women’s Team Stages Historic Return to Test Cricket
The spotlight won’t be solely on the men’s team. The South African women’s team will also be in action, taking on England in a multi-format series. This includes three T20 Internationals, three ODIs featuring the Black Day ODI for gender-based violence awareness, and a historic Test match. Significantly, this will be the first women’s Test played in South Africa in over two decades, marking a momentous occasion for the sport in the country. Bloemfontein will be the venue for this historic Test, while Kingsmead and St George’s Park will host the Sri Lanka series.
The upcoming season caters to fans of all formats. The four Test matches offer high-stakes World Test Championship clashes, while the limited-overs series provide exciting opportunities to witness explosive batting and nail-biting bowling battles.
While exact dates haven’t been confirmed yet, the schedule outlines the general timeline. The Sri Lanka series will kick things off, followed by a full tour from Pakistan. The festive season will see the Boxing Day and New Year’s Test matches, after which the men’s team will take a break before the SA20 T20 league kicks off. There’s a possibility of an ODI tri-series in Pakistan before the Champions Trophy in February, which might cause some schedule overlap.
With a diverse schedule featuring marquee teams and a historic return to women’s Test cricket, the 2024-25 summer promises to be a memorable one for South African cricket.
