In the 2025/26 season, Cricket South Africa has confirmed no home Tests for the men’s team, focusing instead on the women’s team hosting series against Ireland and Pakistan. Men’s team will proceed with T20 matches leading to the T20 World Cup in 2026.
Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced that the men’s team will not participate in any Test matches during the 2025/26 international home season. Instead, the focus will be on the women’s team, which will host Ireland and Pakistan for white-ball series. Each series consists of three T20 Internationals (T20Is) and three One Day Internationals (ODIs). The women’s matches against Ireland are scheduled from December 5-19, while matches against Pakistan will take place from February 10 to March 1.
The series against Pakistan is significant as it marks the beginning of the new International Women’s Championship (IWC) cycle, leading into the 2029 Women’s ODI World Cup. Conversely, the South African men’s team plans to engage in a five-match T20I series against the West Indies from January 27 to February 6, followed by participation in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Pholetsi Moseki, CSA CEO, commented on the upcoming tours, stating, “We are looking forward to seeing our women take on Ireland and Pakistan. These tours not only provide our team with strong competition but also give our fans an opportunity to watch the Proteas Women compete at their favourite venues across the country.” He further explained the limited window for men’s cricket next season due to various outbound tours and the Betway SA20 league.
As for development initiatives, South Africa U19 Men will prepare for the 2026 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup through a three-match Youth ODI series against Bangladesh from July 17–22, while South Africa ‘A’ will face New Zealand ‘A’ in a series of 50-over and four-day matches later in the year. Moseki emphasized the importance of hosting national development tours for nurturing talent.
The complete schedule for the women’s and men’s matches includes specific venues and dates, providing fans with ample excitement as the teams prepare for the upcoming competitions.
Men’s T20I Series vs West Indies:
1st T20I – January 27, 2026, Boland Park
2nd T20I – January 29, 2026, Newlands
3rd T20I – February 1, 2026, Buffalo Park
4th T20I – February 4, 2026, SuperSport Park
5th T20I – February 6, 2026, Wanderers
Women’s T20I Series vs Ireland:
1st T20I – December 5, 2025, Newlands
2nd T20I – December 7, 2025, Boland Park
3rd T20I – December 10, 2025, Willowmoore Park
1st ODI – December 13, 2025, Buffalo Park
2nd ODI – December 16, 2025, St George’s Park
3rd ODI – December 19, 2025, Wanderers
Women’s T20I Series vs Pakistan:
1st T20I – February 10, 2025, JB Marks Oval
2nd T20I – February 13, 2025, Willowmoore Park
3rd T20I – February 16, 2025, Kimberley Oval
1st ODI – February 23, 2025, Mangaung Oval
2nd ODI – February 25, 2025, SuperSport Park
3rd ODI – March 1, 2025, Kingsmead.
In summary, the 2025/26 cricket season for South Africa will see a focus on women’s international fixtures, with no home Tests scheduled for the men’s team. The tour against Ireland and Pakistan aims to bolster the women’s cricket profile and development. Meanwhile, the men’s team will engage in T20 matches and prepare for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, highlighting the strategic planning behind South Africa’s cricket calendar.
Original Source: sports.ndtv.com
