SA to take break from T20 for England ODIs

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa will be at full strength for a crucial One-day International series against world champions England early next year despite the series being scheduled in the same time period as the country’s new Twenty20 league.

Fixtures for the SA20 league were announced by Cricket South Africa on Tuesday.

The schedule includes an eight-day break to accommodate the one-day series, which is part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) World Cup Super League.

South Africa are languishing in 11th place in the league.

They need to win the majority of their remaining fixtures – three against England and two against the Netherlands – in order to become one of the eight automatic qualifiers for the Cricket World Cup in India in October and November next year.

The series against England will be played in Bloemfontein and Kimberley between January 27 and February 1.

The gap in the T20 fixtures will also enable England players involved in the SA20, including white-ball captain Jos Buttler, to represent their country. England are second in the Super League table.