Newlands has lost the New Year’s Test and the biggest Test on the SA calendar will this year be played at the Wanderers in Johannesburg against Sri Lanka‚ with SuperSport Park in Centurion to again host the Boxing Day Test.

After more than seven months of inactivity on the field of play‚ and instability in the boardroom‚ cricket-mad fans will be jumping up and down with excitement after Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Tuesday announced a bumper 2020-21 international season for the Proteas men’s national team.

The Proteas start their international season with a three-match Twenty20 and three-match ODI series against England in Cape Town and Paarl with series against Sri Lanka‚ Australia and Pakistan to follow.

The first ball of the English tour will be bowled on Friday November 27 with the first Twenty20 at Newlands and the last match against Eoin Morgan’s world champions will be on Wednesday‚ December 9 at the same venue.

Sri Lanka will be the next tourists after England with the islanders scheduled to play a two-match Test series in Centurion for the Boxing Day showdown and in Johannesburg for the New Year’s Test.

The unheralded Sri Lankans became the first team from Asia to win a Test series in South Africa in February last year.

The first Test of the Sri Lanka tour will be played in Centurion from December 26 to December 30 and the second will be in Johannesburg from January 3 to January 7.

The Australians will arrive in February 2021 for a three-match Test series ending in March.

Pakistan will round off the South African summer of cricket with a three-match ODI series and a three-match Twenty20 extravaganza in April 2021.

CSA said complete fixtures for these tours will be announced in due course.

All the matches will be used to accumulate crucial points in either the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League or the ICC World Test Championship.

The Proteas are languishing second-from-bottom on the nine-nation ICC World Test Championship having lost six of the seven matches they have played in two series.

CSA acting CEO Kugandrie Govender said fans will not be allowed into the stadiums but promised enough entertainment for match-day activities.

Govender said the Twenty20 international matches will provide the coaching team and selectors with important preparation and a platform to monitor the best players ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s Twenty World Cup in October and November in India.

“It is an important season for all of the formats of our beautiful game‚ with players having a lot to play for no matter the team they are selected in.”

“I would like to express my gratitude and thanks on behalf of CSA‚ to the boards of England‚ Sri Lanka‚ Australia and Pakistan for their agreement to these tours and assisting us in bringing the beautiful game to the South African public under the ‘new normal’ that Covid-19 has presented us.”

PROTEAS 2020/2021 INTERNATIONAL SEASON

ENGLANDS MEN’S TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA

• Friday‚ November 27‚ 2020: 1st Twenty20 vs England‚ Newlands‚ Cape Town
• Sunday‚ November 29‚ 2020: 2nd Twenty20 vs England‚ Boland Park‚ Paarl
• Tuesday‚ December 1‚ 2020: 3rd Twenty20 vs England‚ Newlands‚ Cape Town
• Friday‚ December 4‚ 2020: 1st ODI v England‚ Newlands‚ Cape Town
• Sunday‚ December 6‚ 2020: 2nd ODI vs England‚ Boland Park‚ Paarl
• Wednesday‚ December 9‚ 2020: 3rd ODI vs England‚ Newlands‚ Cape Town

SRI LANKA MEN’S TOUR TO SOUTH AFRICA

Saturday‚ December 26 to 30‚ 2020: 1st Test match vS Sri Lanka‚ SuperSport Park‚ Centurion.

Sunday‚ January 3 to 7‚ 2021: 2nd Test match vs Sri Lanka‚ Wanderers Stadium‚ Johannesburg.