South Africa Cricket team here for full series in July after 4 years

Thursday, 5 April 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By Madushka Balasuriya

South Africa are set to tour Sri Lanka for two Tests, five ODIs, and a one-off T20I in July, Sri Lanka Cricket has confirmed. The South African team will arrive in the island on 4July.

With the first Test set to get underway in Galle on 12 July, there may be time for South Africa to fit in a tour game though none have yet been announced. The second Test will begin in Colombo on 20 July, before the action moves to Dambulla on 29 July for the first of two ODIs there, one of which will be under lights.

The third and fourth ODIs will be played in Kandy on 5and 8August, after which the teams will return to Colombo for the final ODI on 12 August and a sole T20I two days later.

This will be South Africa’s first tour to Sri Lanka since 2014, while the teams last played each other in South Africa at the start of 2017.

Though results have historically favoured the home side, South Africa did register a Test and ODI series win on their last visit to the island, and as such are the only non-Asian side to win a Test series in Sri Lanka in the past six years.