London: Eoin Morgan led England will play three-match T20I series and an ODI series comprising as many matches against the Proteas during the tour of South Africa later this year. All the matches will be played closed doors in Cape Town and Paarl.
It will be reportedly England's first overseas tour since the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit the world. England returned home from their tour of Sri Lanka early in March as the COVID-19 virus spread across the world. The Three Lions then played summer series against West Indies, Pakistan, Ireland and Australia on home soil.
South Africa have not played international cricket since March. However, many of their star cricketers are playing in the Indian Premier League 2020 being held in the UAE.
England will leave home on November 16 on a chartered flight after the South African government granted the team a travel exemption and will stay in a bio-secure bubble.
They will play intra-squad warm-up matches at their Cape Town base before the T20 series begins on November 27, with the ODI series following on December 4. A squad for the tour is expected to be announced early next month.
Tom Harrison, ECB’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are looking forward to touring South Africa. I would like to personally thank Cricket South Africa for their efforts in ensuring this tour goes ahead and their diligent work to create an environment that is safe for our players and staff. They are working tirelessly to pull together a bio-secure plan in Cape Town and Paarl.
“We owe it to the sport that we do everything we can to keep international competition progressing during this pandemic.
“Series against the Proteas are always exciting and intense. We saw that earlier this year in South Africa and we can expect the same this time around.”
