England team set for hectic SouthAfrica tour next season

England will play four Tests, five One-Day Internationals and two Twenty20 matches on a 10-week tour of South Africa during the 2015/16 summer season.

The schedule of matches was confirmed by Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Monday, with the opening fixture a Boxing Day Test against the number one-ranked Proteas in Durban.

England will have been in the country for two weeks already having played two three-day warm-up matches against a South African Invitational XI in Potchefstroom and Pietermaritzburg.

Cape Town will host the second Test starting on Januaryuary 2, 2016, before the teams head to the Highveld to play matches in Johannesburg (Januaryuary 14-18) and Pretoria (January 22-26).

England will warm-up for the five-match ODI series with a game in Kimberley against as yet unconfirmed opposition before playing internationals in Bloemfontein (February. 3), Port Elizabeth (February. 6), Pretoria (February. 9), Johannesburg (February. 12) and Cape Town (February. 14).

The first Twenty20 will also be in Cape Town five days later after a warm-up match in nearby Paarl against a South African Invitational XI, before the tour ends with the second match in Johannesburg on February. 21.

Tour itinerary:

December 11, 2015: England arrive in SA

December 15-17: SA Invitation XI v England, Senwes Park, Potchefstroom

December 20-22: SA Invitation XI v England, Pietermaritzburg Oval

December 26-30: 1st Test, Kingsmead, Durban

January 2-6, 2016: 2nd Test, Newlands, Cape Town

January 14-18: 3rd Test, Wanderers, Johannesburg

January 22-26: 4th Test, Centurion, Pretoria

January 30: 1-day tour match, Diamond Oval, Kimberley

February 3: 1st ODI, Springbok Park, Bloemfontein

February 6: 2nd ODI, St. George’s Park, Port Elizabeth

February 9: 3rd ODI, Centurion, Pretoria

February 12: 4th ODI, Wanderers, Johannesburg

February 14: 5th ODI, Newlands, Cape Town

February 17: T20 tour match, SA Invitation XI v England, Boland Park, Paarl

February 19: 1st T20 International, Newlands, Cape Town

February 21: 2nd T20 International, Wanderers, Johannesburg.

Image: Alastair Cook

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