Even less cricket for Proteas in 2025-26 season

An international schedule that was minuscule for the Proteas men’s team shrunk more on Tuesday with confirmation that instead of five T20 Internationals, South Africa will play only three in the 2025-26 season.

South Africa’s series with the West Indies, scheduled to run from January 26 to February 6, has been reduced to five days to accommodate the revised dates for next year’s T20 World Cup.

The tournament was due to start in mid-February but has been moved to the first week of that month, with the ICC also setting aside a “support period” (warm-up matches) that commences on January 31.

As a result, the two T20 Internationals scheduled for East London and Cape Town on January 29 and February 1 have been cancelled.

The first match of the reduced series will happen in Paarl on January 27 followed by fixtures in Centurion on January 29, with the series concluding two days later at the Wanderers.

The final match also constitutes the “Pink Day” festivities which usually occur during an ODI. However, the Proteas men have no ODIs or Tests scheduled this summer.

To fill the schedule over what is usually the premier period for cricket, the SA20 will be played, starting on December 26.

It is the first time in the post-isolation period that SA will not host a Test match in the country.

The Proteas’ tour to India ends on December 19.

Cricket SA had challenges procuring opponents for the 2025/26 season owing to the T20 World Cup, the late finish of the India tour and four countries — Australia, England, West Indies and New Zealand — all facing each other over the festive period.

In addition, with Sri Lanka and Pakistan having toured last season and Bangladesh scheduled to travel to SA next summer, that left little room to sign with anyone to create a series.

Besides the two Tests against Bangladesh in 2026/27, the World Test Champions will also face Australia and England in a pair of three-match Test series.

Revised Proteas schedule vs West Indies

• January 27: first T20 International, Paarl
• January 29: second T20 International, Centurion
• January 31: third T20 International, Johannesburg