South Africa has pulled out of the one-day internationals against Australia scheduled for the week after their Test series wraps up in January.
In a statement released late Wednesday morning, Cricket Australia said they were unable to reschedule the matches after receiving a request to do so by South African administrators.
The three matches were supposed to be played in Hobart, Sydney and Perth.
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The cancellation means the Sydney Test against the Proteas – which ends on January 8 – will mark the end of the men’s international summer, while the women’s team play just three ODIs and three T20s against Pakistan to ensure the summer of cricket is finished by the end of January.
The second of the T20s, scheduled for Australia Day, has been moved from Canberra’s Manuka Oval to Bellerive Oval. It will be Hobart’s only chance to see either national side.
Blundstone Arena will, however, be heavily used throughout the men’s T20 World Cup.
In an unexpected positive for Cricket Australia, the cancellation of the South African one-dayers will free the players up a week earlier than expected to join their Big Bash sides for the back end of the season.
Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley said he was “disappointed” South Africa had pulled out of the series.
“It is disappointing that Cricket South Africa will be unable to contest the ODI series in January,” he said.
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“That said, we are delighted to be hosting South Africa for the three Test series which includes the Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests and with the comprehensive schedule of international cricket that will take place across Australia throughout the summer.”
Cricket South Africa confirmed in a statement that it had presented Cricket Australia with “four options” to reschedule the ODI series.
“CSA is always keen on honouring its bilateral commitments. While CSA is committed to honouring its fixtures in respect of the Future Tours Programme there will sometimes be unforeseen circumstances that would negate this resolve,” CSA CEO, Pholetsi Moseki said in a statement.
“CSA reached out to its counterpart months ago to reschedule the tour to mutually agreeable dates. CSA offered four options to that effect. Unfortunately, and to our disappointment, none of these were acceptable to Cricket Australia.
“CSA has agreed that ICC award Australia the competition points. While we are saddened at losing the crucial points, we are confident that our in-form Proteas team will garner the requisite points through the remaining games to secure automatic qualification to the showpiece event in India next year.”
Two of the men’s T20s against the West Indies have also been moved. The October 7 match scheduled for the Gold Coast has been moved to the Gabba, while the October 9 game has been moved across the country from Brisbane to Perth.
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