South Africa to trial unique three-team limited overs fixture

Cricket South Africa will trial a new format that will see three teams compete in a single 36-over match as they look to restart the game with the Solidarity Cup at SuperSport Park in Centurion on June 27.

The fixture is a chance for the country’s leading players to get some game-time under their belts in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, but will also raise funds for charity.

It will be played in an empty stadium and is a test for CSA’s protocols for a return to play for the domestic game, which could come as early as next month.

Captains AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock and Kagiso Rabada will lead teams of eight players who will bat for a total of 12 overs, six per innings, during which time they will face both opponents in the field.

At the fall of the seventh wicket, the last remaining batsman can carry on, but only score in even numbers, twos, four or a six.

The team with the highest aggregate total at the end of the game will be declared the winner.

“I know that the players are itching to get back into action, which is why we are so excited about the Solidarity Cup,” CSA director of cricket Graeme Smith said. “It’s a thrilling new format and a match that is working towards a greater good.”

CSA has been given permission by the government to host matches under strict protocols and are hoping to welcome India for three Twenty20 internationals in late August.

They also have a test and limited overs tour to the West Indies that was scheduled to start in late July, but will be staged on a new date.