South Africa will host Australia in August 2023 for five one-day internationals and three Twenty20 internationals. The initial fixtures were scheduled to take place in March 2021 which included 3 Test Matches as well.
These 3 Test fixtures were part of the World Test Championship cycle from 2019 to 2021 but were postponed due to Covid-19. However, now these 5-day games are being replaced by 1-day games which are planned to be phased out in favour of these 8 white-ball matches.
This will also help both sided in their preparation for the 2023 ODI World Cup. The adjustment is not likely to result in any financial losses for Cricket South Africa.
Though there will be seven fewer days of cricket currently, the white-ball matches will generate the same amount of cash for the CSA as the three Tests.
Meanwhile, South Africa will also play their first festive Test series in Australia since 2008 in late 2022. As part of the World Cup Super League, they will also play three One-Day Internationals. Those matches are scheduled to take place after the Test, in January 2023.
However, CSA is concerned that they may conflict with its new franchise T20 league and is in talks to have them played earlier.
South Africa vs Australia: The previous encounters
Since the Sandpapergate series in South Africa in 2018, South Africa and Australia have not met in a Test match. They’ve subsequently met in three ODIs in March 2020 in South Africa, which South Africa won 3-0, and at the 2021 T20 World Cup, which Australia won, but three Tests were planned to lead the summer of 2021.
The series was scheduled to begin, and CSA had made extensive efforts to accommodate Australia, but they cancelled due to fears about the epidemic, leaving CSA “disappointed and irritated.”
Thus, now the Aussies and the Proteas will meet again for a long series after a long time.
