Cricket South Africa has reportedly lined up a cash-rich T20 series against India but face an anxious wait to see if international travel will allow it to proceed.
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CSA stand to land as much as R195 million – once television and advertising revenues are factored into the deal – for an incoming T20 tour even if the matches are played without spectators. Gate receipts account for just 5-10% of the tour’s revenue with a series involving India still in high demand.
‘That’s the big one for us,’ acting CEO Jacques Faul told Sport24.
‘We can definitely play behind closed doors and still make revenue out of it.’
The tour has been slated for the end of August but the report also suggests that moving the series to a neutral venue – like Dubai – is not out of the equation with an eye on the ‘still on’ T20 World Cup in in Australia in October.
Current lockdown regulations prevent the team from gathering and practising as a unit.
Earlier this week the Proteas’ tour of Sri Lanka later was postponed. The June series was due to feature three ODIs and as many T20Is, but has been deferred as a preventative measure against the coronavirus pandemic.
The ODI leg would have been South Africa’s first commitment to the International Cricket Council’s new one-day league.
‘It is very sad that we have been forced to take this step and we will reschedule the tour as soon as cricket returns to a sense of normality and our international fixture list allows,’ said Faul.
‘Our Proteas would not have been able to prepare properly taking our own lockdown situation into account and, more importantly, health considerations for our players, which are always paramount, were the over-riding factor.
‘It would have been a particularly important tour for us with the three ODIs counting for the new ICC one-day league and the T20 programme being part of our preparation for the T20 World Cup scheduled for Australia later this year. It is very frustrating for the players who want to build on the good form they showed at the back end of our home summer against Australia.’
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