Proteas players are expected to play in the domestic T20 Challenge, which has moved forward to fill the vacuum left by the Global League.
Cricket South Africa has confirmed what was widely expected: that the T20 Challenge, originally scheduled for late March, would return to its usual place in the calendar. It had been relegated to the back of the season to accommodate the Global League, which has since been postponed until November 2018.
The bonus is that the Proteas players who signed up for the Global League will all be available to their franchises. Most of the matches will start at 18:00pm, with the first ball being bowled in Port Elizabeth on 10 November when the Warriors meet the Knights.
‘This is going to be a highly competitive competition,’ said Thabang Moroe, CSA’s acting chief executive. ‘It will provide a mouth-watering appetiser before we move on to the main business of the summer with the international tours by India and Australia [from 5 January].
‘We have witnessed what a hunger there is to see our Proteas in action during the Bangladesh tour, which has seen packed houses attending the ODI series at Kimberley, Paarl and East London.
‘The fact that we are seeing younger players pushing through to Proteas level will serve as a huge incentive to our emerging talent to test themselves alongside the best in the country in this competition.’
The revised schedule includes three double-headers – at SuperSport Park, Newlands and St George’s Park – with the final taking place on the Day of Reconciliation public holiday, 16 December. It was on that day in 2016 that the Titans beat the Warriors for the first of their two trophies of the season.
In another change from the usual format, two semi-finals will be played instead of the log leaders securing a final place unopposed, while No 2 and 3 played off for the final spot in the old format.
The Momentum One-Day Cup will start on 20 December as previously scheduled, with the final in early February, followed by the second half of the Sunfoil Series competition.
Photo: Samuel Shivambu/Backpagepix
