LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Friday announced details of Team Pakistan tour to South Africa for three T20Is, three ODIs, and two Tests in the second half of 2024.
Durban, Centurion, and Johannesburg will host the T20Is from December 10 to 14. The ODIs will be played from December 17 to 22 in Paarl, Cape Town, and Johannesburg, while the two ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 matches will be held at Centurion (December 26 to 30) and Cape Town (January 3 to 7).
The side will depart for Durban on 2nd December after returning from Australia on 19th November, having featured in a series of three ODIs and three T20Is from November 4 to 18. After completing their African safari on 8th January, the national side will take on New Zealand and South Africa in a three-nation ODI tournament on home turf, which will be followed by the eight-team ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan.
Prior to the tours of Australia and South Africa, Pakistan will host Bangladesh and England for two and three Tests, respectively. This means they will play seven Tests, minimum of 10 ODIs, and six T20Is in the six-month period from August 2024 to January 2025.
This will be Pakistan’s seventh Test tour of South Africa since 1994-95. Their two Test wins were in the 1997-98 and 2006-2007 series. In the Durban Test in 1997-98, Pakistan won by 29 runs at the back of centuries from Azhar Mahmood (132) and Saeed Anwar (118), match figures of nine for 149 by Mushtaq Ahmed and a first innings five-for by Shoaib Akhtar. In the 2006-2007 Port Elizabeth Test, Pakistan won by five wickets with Inzamam-ul-Haq being named as Player of the Match for his 92 in the first innings.
In ODIs, Pakistan has won two of the last three series in 2013-2014 and 2020-21, while South Africa triumphed in 2002-2003 (4-1), 2006-2007 (3-1), 2012-2013 (3-2), and 2018-2019 (3-2).
In 12 T20Is to date, Pakistan leads 6-5 in head-to-head encounters, with one match ending in no-result.
Tour schedule:
10 Dec – 1st T20I, Durban
13 Dec – 2nd T20I, Centurion
14 Dec – 3rd T20I, Johannesburg
17 Dec – 1st ODI, Paarl
19 Dec – 2nd ODI, Cape Town
22 Dec – 3rd ODI, Johannesburg
26-30 Dec – 1st Test, Centurion and
3-7 Jan – 2nd Test, Cape Town.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024