South Africa had last toured Sri Lanka for a bilateral series in 2018.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced that the South Africa team will travel to Sri Lanka for the first time since 2018 to play three ODIs and as many T20Is in September.
All six white-ball matches between Sri Lanka and South Africa will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo with the tour kickstart with the first ODI on September 2 and ending on September 14 – five days before the resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) in the UAE.
The last time South Africa played a bilateral series in Sri Lanka in 2018, comprising 2 Tests, 5 ODIs, and a solitary T20I and the Proteas had won the Test, ODI series 3-2, while the hosts had won the T20I game.
Well, this time, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and CSA decided to play three T20Is in order to have better preparation for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2021 later this year in the UAE and Oman.
CSA Acting CEO, Pholetsi Moseki confirmed the Sri Lanka tour by saying in an official statement: “We are delighted to have another tour confirmed for the Proteas men's team with the T20 WC just around the corner. Playing against quality opposition in the subcontinent is the best way for our team to prepare for this event and we are grateful to Sri Lanka Cricket for accommodating us during this time of the year where schedules are highly condensed.”
Moseki further added, “With an ICC white-ball world event in each year of the next three, game time is golden for every team and we are looking forward to watching our team play as they continue to add to the building blocks of their 2021 T20 WC preparation.”
Here’s the complete itinerary for South Africa's tour of Sri Lanka –
Thursday, 02 September - 1st ODI
Saturday, 04 September - 2nd ODI
Tuesday, 07 September - 3rd ODI
Friday, 10 September - 1st T20I
Sunday, 12 September - 2nd T20I
Tuesday, 14 September - 3rd T20I
(With Cricbuzz Inputs)