South Africa to host West Indies in four ODIs starting from January 28

Cricket South Africa (CSA) has announced the schedule for the four-match ODI series against West Indies that’s scheduled to start from January 28. All matches will be played in Johannesburg under bio-secure environment, CSA release on Wednesday (January 5) said.



CSA release said that the series will start with a warm-up fixture between South Africa XI and West Indies XI on January 25. First and third ODI will be day/night matches and all the games will be hosted by Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg in a bio-secure environment.  Both teams will be accommodated in a hotel close to the venue to make sure the safety of the players and support staffs from the pandemic.



Graeme Smith, director of cricket, said that the series will be crucial for South Africa’s preparation for the Cricket World Cup that’s scheduled be played in New Zealand from March this year.



“CSA is extremely excited to be able to confirm the schedule for the West Indies tour to South Africa during a critical time for the Proteas side as they strive to make history in this year’s World Cup,” said Smith.



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“Following lengthy and constructive engagements between CSA and CWI, all parties are delighted to confirm the fixtures that will allow both nations to play during these challenging times of the pandemic and get the required amount of cricket in the players’ legs before a major tournament.



South Africa have been on the ascendancy in the 50-over in recent times having lost only one match in full-time (They came second in one fixture against West Indies in Super Over) from the 13 games they played in 2021. They started the year with a 3-0 series win over Pakistan at home before travelling to India and West Indies to register 4-1 series victories.



“Proteas had an exceptional year in 2021 – ending it as the second-ranked team on the ICC rankings in the ODI format – and it is important to continue that momentum with a significant series against quality opposition,” Smith concluded.



Schedule:



Warm-up match between South Africa XI and West Indies XI – January 25



1^st ODI (D/N) – January 28



2^nd ODI – January 31



3^rd ODI (D/N) – February 3



4^th ODI – February 6



* All matches will be played at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg