What cricket's brave new world will mean for South Africans has been revealed in a confidential draft version of the binding future tours programme to be in force until 2023.
The Proteas are scheduled to play the big three - India, England and Australia - in 11 Test series between 2015 and 2022. Ten of those could consist of four Tests and the other, against England in 2019-2020, would feature five Tests. Five of the series would be played in South Africa.
The Times reported in February that Cricket SA was promised four-Test series against India in future, in return for abandoning its opposition to an International Cricket Council's radical restructure that would vest most of the authority in world cricket in the hands of the countries that generate most of the game's revenue: the big three.
CSA duly voted in favour of an amended version of the plan, which was passed. The ethics of CSA's decision remain questionable, especially as it was the first board to speak out against the original proposal and did so vociferously by calling it "fundamentally flawed".
But CSA's U-turn has given it the best chance of staying in the big three's good books, hence the generous helping of fixtures against it. Pakistan, for instance, could be awarded only two series of four Tests - both against England - against the big three.
Besides the prestige of playing against India, England and Australia, broadcast rights for those series will be sold at the highest premium.
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package. 