PCB invites CSA to play T20I series in Pakistan 

What's the story?

Pakistan Cricket Board has asked Cricket South Africa to send their team to play matches in Pakistan and prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup. This series is planned to take place in March next year after South Africa plays a three-match ODI series in India.

The background

The foreign teams have avoided touring Pakistan owing to security issues. This had forced the Asian giants to adopt the United Arab Emirates as their new home for a long time. Of late, however, things have gotten better as international cricket has returned to Pakistan.

Recently, Sri Lanka had toured Pakistan to play a three-match ODI series and a three-match T20I series.

The heart of the matter

The Chief Executive Officer of PCB, Wasim Khan has sent an invitation to the South African team.

“We are hopeful they (South Africa) will come in late March as the series will also help both teams prepare for the World T20 Championship in October.”

He even shed light on the recent series played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

“The gates to international cricket returning properly to Pakistan are open and there is no doubt that the recent tour by the Sri Lankan team to play the T20 and ODI series has helped us a lot.”

South Africa has not played an international match in Pakistan since 2007/08

If this series gets confirmed, the South African team's workload will increase a lot as they are set to host England for a four-match Test series, three-match ODI series and three-match T20I series in a tour spanning from December 2019 to February 2019.

After England, South Africa will host Australia in a three-match T20I series before visiting India to participate in a three-match ODI series against the hosts. As IPL 2020 is scheduled to begin in April and a majority of the South African players will be a part of it, the series versus Pakistan would impact their fitness levels.

What's next?

Since the international matches have resumed in Pakistan, it is likely that the South African team will tour the country. However, it will be interesting to see if they send their full strength team or not.

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