England will reportedly be hosted by Western Province Cricket Club before playing three ODIs and as many T20Is against South Africa in Cape Town and Paarl in November and December 2020.
The series was in doubt amid the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions. According to ESPNcricinfo, though, the South African government has agreed to waiver some of the restrictions imposed on visitors from countries deemed ‘high risk’.
“The England and Wales Cricket Board are expected to charter a flight to Cape Town, which will arrive on 17 November, ahead of the first international match about 10 days later,” reported ESPNcricinfo.
“The squad will stay at the Vineyard Hotel and train, initially at least, at the Western Province Cricket Club ground where they will play inter-squad warm-up games. South Africa will later join them at the same hotel.”
Western Province Cricket Club’s Vineyard Oval is directly opposite the Vineyard Hotel in Claremont, Cape Town. The club also has the Wally Wilson Oval in neighbouring suburb Rondebosch.
File image: Wally Wilson Oval.
“Had the South Africa government refused to allow a dispensation, the touring party would have been obliged to quarantine in their hotel rooms for at least a week at the start of the tour. It seems the ECB would have declined to tour under these circumstances,” added ESPNcricinfo.
“The squad will still be obliged to quarantine, but they will be allowed to train and use certain parts of the hotel during that period.”
Several South African and England stars are involved in the ongoing Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. These include limited-overs captains Quinton de Kock and Eoin Mogan of the Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively.
“We will do what we can to try and get cricket back on, because it means a huge amount for people in lockdown in their own countries, and also for Cricket South Africa financially,” said Morgan.
“I know the worry we had about potentially not bowling a ball all summer and the detrimental impact that would have, probably to grassroots cricket more than any other part of the game. If the tour goes ahead, we’d love to come down, as the series we played last time was incredible.”
South Africa and England’s ODIs and T20Is, like the 2020 IPL, will be played without spectators as a preventative measure against the spread of the pandemic.
Have confirmed club cricket news you want published? Email jw@clubcricket.co.za – thank you.