Newlands to host New Year’s Test with India

NEWLANDS will once more host the New Year’s Test in January, after Cricket SA announced yesterday morning that the third Test between South Africa and India will take place in Cape Town.

The entire three-match series with India had originally been slated to take place in Centurion and the Wanderers in Johannesburg, but the prospect of having fans in the venues has seen CSA switch the final match to its traditional home in the shadow of Table Mountain.

As it stands, 2000 spectators will be allowed into the venues this summer, but it is understood that talks are taking place between various sports federations including CSA and the government to allow up to 60% of a stadium’s capacity for events.

That will be dependent on how well the country is able to cope with an anticipated ‘fourth wave’ of the Covid pandemic.

All of last season’s international matches took place in a bio-secure environment in Gauteng, with the two Tests with Sri Lanka hosted at Supersport Park and the Wanderers.

Spectators were allowed into the Kimberley Oval for the final round of matches in the domestic T20 Knock Out competition recently, as long as they could prove they’d been fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

On Thursday, the SA Football Association said that up to 2000 spectators would be allowed to attend the World Cup qualifier between South Africa and Zimbabwe, on November 11, at FNB stadium.

India’s tour, besides providing CSA with a massive financial boost, is also historically significant.

“CSA is excited to welcome India back to South Africa, which also significantly marks the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first tour to India after re-entry into international cricket in 1991. This tour affirms our unique relationship with the BCCI,” Graeme Smith, CSA’S Director of Cricket, said.

The three-match ODI series and the four-match T20 series will be split between Paarl and Cape Town in the last three weeks of January.