Sri Lanka to tour South Africa for Boxing Day Test

by Rex Clementine

Starved of international cricket due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lanka will finally engage in Test cricket when they tour South Africa later this year. Sri Lanka Cricket bosses confirmed to Sunday Island that they are finalizing the details of the tour but the series will take place for sure.

Dimuth Karunaratne’s side will play two Test matches against the Proteas – the Boxing Day Test match and the New Year Test.

SLC officials said that the venues for the tour are not confirmed but most likely the Boxing Day Test will be played in one of the coastal cities – Durban or Port Elizabeth. The New Year Test is traditionally played in the posh Cape Town. However, they did not rule out the team being isolated to Cape Town and the nearby Paarl, like England who travel to South Africa prior to Sri Lanka. England will play three ODIs and three T-20 Internationals in South Africa with all games taking place in Cape Town and Paarl.

The national cricket team is expected to reach South Africa by the 12th December. They will go through the necessary quarantine and are expected to play two warm-up games. The quarantine period is being currently discussed and depending on government regulations, the team could reach South Africa a few days earlier.

The tour will mark Sri Lanka’s return to international cricket since February this year. Since hosting West Indies for a limited over series, there have been several series postponed due to the pandemic. Sri Lanka were set to host England and Bangladesh for Test match cricket this year and India, Pakistan and South Africa for limited over games. SLC was also set to host this year’s Asia Cup.

SLC officials said that all the tours that were postponed will be played over the next two years.

The last time Sri Lanka toured South Africa in 2019, they made the trip a memorable one becoming the first Asian nation to win a Test series in South Africa. While Kusal Janith Perera was the standout performer during the series win, other young players like Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Lasith Embuldeniya and Vishwa Fernando stood out as well.

The win came against many odds and the batsmen in particular did exceptionally well against a formidable bowling attack comprising Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Duanne Olivier.