Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Zimbabwe to tour SA

Cricket SA have announced their home schedule for the 2018-19 season that will see tours by Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, with the focus on one-day internationals (ODIs) ahead of the 2019 World Cup.

Pakistan will feature in the marquee Boxing Day and New Year Tests as they tour SA for the first time since 2013.

The first Test will be played in Pretoria from December 26-30, before matches in Cape Town (January 3-7) and Johannesburg (January 11-15). These will be followed by five ODIs and three Twenty20 internationals

There will be just a week’s break before the end of Pakistan’s tour and the arrival of Sri Lanka for Tests in Durban (February 13-17) and Port Elizabeth (February 21-25).

The sides will also be involved in a series of five ODIs and three Twenty20 fixtures that will finish on March 24.

SA’s summer will get under way with a limited-overs tour by Zimbabwe that will include three ODIs and three Twenty20 fixtures between September 30 and October 14 2018.

Cricket SA acting CE Thabang Moroe said the 13 ODIs during the season would enable the team to fine-tune their preparations for the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England. SA are ranked second in the world in Tests and ODIs, but sixth in Twenty20 internationals. Their next assignment is a tour of Sri Lanka in mid-July.