Centurion to host Boxing Day Test in mega summer

Centurion will host the Boxing Day Test which will kick-start the four-match Test series while Cape Town will host the annual New Year's Test. © Getty
England and Australia will feature in a blockbuster home summer for South Africa after Cricket South Africa (CSA) released the 2019-20 international schedule on Friday (May 24). England will be the first visitors and will start their tour with a couple of warm-up fixtures - a two-day game against an Invitational XI and followed by a three-day game against South Africa 'A'.

Centurion will host the Boxing Day Test which will kick-start the four-match Test series while Cape Town will host the annual New Year's Test. The last two matches will be played in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg respectively. The five-day matches will be followed by a couple of warm-up one-day games, against a South African Invitational XI, before the two teams feature in a three-match one-day series to be played in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. The tour will conclude with three Twenty20 games, to be played at East London, Durban and Johannesburg.

Five days after the end of the England series, Australia are due to arrive in South Africa, for a short series consisting of three Twenty20 Internationals and an equal number of ODIs. Johannesburg will host the first Twenty20 International on February 21 with Port Elizabeth and Cape Town hosting the next two games. Paarl, Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom will host the 50-over contests, with the third and final ODI set to be played on March 7.

"This will be a huge summer both for our Standard Bank Proteas, who are currently ranked in the top three in all three formats, and for our fans who can look forward to action-packed and top-quality entertainment against two of the powerhouses of world cricket," commented CSA Chief Executive Thabang Moroe.

"The Test matches will take on particular significance as this will be our first home series in the ICC World Test Championship following our away series in India in October. I am delighted also to announce that we will be working closely with SA Tourism around the Test host venues of Pretoria, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg to ensure that this series creates a win-win situation both for cricket and the South African economy," he added.

Schedule:

England tour of South Africa, 2019-20

26th December 2019 - 30th December, 2019, 1st Test - SuperSport Park, Centurion

3rd January 2020 - 7th January, 2020, 2nd Test - Newlands, Cape Town

16th January 2020 - 20th January 2020, 3rd Test - St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth

24th January 2020 - 28th January 2020, 4th Test - Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

4th February - 1st ODI (D/N) - Newlands, Cape Town

7th February - 2nd ODI (D/N) - Kingsmead, Durban

9th February - 3rd ODI (Day) - Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

12th February - 1st T20I (D/N) - Buffalo Park, East London

14th February - 2nd T20I (D/N) - Kingsmead, Durban

16th February - 3rd T20I (Day) - Supersport Park, Centurion

Australia tour of South Africa, 2019-20

21st February - 1st T20I (D/N) - Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg

23rd February - 2nd T20I (Day) - St. George's Park, Port Elizabeth

26th February - 3rd T20I (D/N) - Newlands, Cape Town

29th February - 1st ODI (D/N) - Eurolux Park, Paarl

4th March - 2nd ODI (D/N) - Manguang Oval, Bloemfontein

7th March - 3rd ODI (Day) - Senwes Park, Potchefstroom