Johannesburg, Nov 2 (IANS) South Africa’s maiden home series against Australia women has been rescheduled to run from March 24 to April 18, 2027, following the confirmation of the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, which will be held from February 14 to 28.
The landmark bilateral tour will feature three T20 Internationals, three One-Day Internationals and a one-off Test, with matches scheduled across seven venues in South Africa.
The T20I leg will begin in Kimberley on March 24, followed by matches in Benoni on March 27 and Potchefstroom on March 30. The teams will then move to the 50-over format, with ODIs scheduled in Durban (April 3), Paarl (April 7) and Gqeberha (April 10).
The tour will conclude with a historic four-day Test from April 15 to 18 at Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium in KuGompo City, which will host a women’s Test for the first time.
The ODI series will also carry added significance, forming part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2026-29, through which teams compete for qualification to the 2029 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The opening ODI in Durban on April 3 will coincide with the sixth edition of the Black Day ODI, an initiative aimed at raising awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) in South Africa.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive officer Pholetsi Moseki welcomed the revised schedule and highlighted the significance of hosting the Australian side for the first time.
“Hosting a heralded team like Australia will always be a special occasion, let alone doing so for the first time. We are very appreciative of the work put in by both Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia to ensure the tour’s new dates were confirmed following the scheduling of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy,” Moseki said in a statement.
“This is an exciting opportunity for fans across South Africa to get behind the Proteas as they take on the defending T20 World Cup champions at seven venues nationwide. The tour builds towards a historic finale in KuGompo City with the first women’s Test between South Africa and Australia on South African soil. It’s a landmark occasion for women’s cricket, and we look forward to seeing supporters fill the stands.”
Highlighting the social significance of the tour, Moseki added, “Another significant aspect of Australia’s tour to South Africa is the opportunity to deliver our sixth edition of the Black Day ODI, reaffirming our commitment to stopping the scourge of gender-based violence in our beloved country. Having the Aussies involved in this important cause can only help strengthen our message,” he added.
--IANS
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