CAPE TOWN - The Proteas Men's team could potentially play all their international cricket on foreign shores this summer.
There was good news yesterday that Mark Boucher's team will travel to Pakistan next month for the first time in 14 years. Boucher was actually part of the team that won the last Test series 1-0 there back in 2007.
South Africa will play two Test matches in Karachi and Rawalpindi as well as three T20I's in Lahore.
It will be the first time the two teams will be contesting a T20I series in Pakistan.
However, the ripple effect of the postponement of England's One-Day International series this week due to Covid-19 breaches at the bio-secure Vineyard Hotel could have disastrous effects on the remainder of the home international season.
Reports in the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror have indicated that the island nation's Health Ministry is not comfortable with the proposed tour of South Africa later this month.
The Sri Lankan team are due to arrive on a commercial Qatar Airways flight to Johannesburg (via Doha) in South Africa on December 18 for a two-match Test series starting on on Boxing Day at Centurion.
Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) and the Sri Lankan Health Ministry have had intense discussions related to the tour over the past couple of days, and in particular the need for the players to quarantine for at least 10 days upon return from South Africa.
The quarantine period may be the deciding factor for the SLC, who the final decision related to the South African tour lays with, particularly after England confirmed they will play two Tests in Sri Lanka next month.
The second and final Test between the Proteas and Sri Lanka at the Wanderers is scheduled from January 3 - 7, which is just seven days before England and Sri Lanka are set to do battle from January 14 - 18 in Galle.
The SLC would be unwilling to put the England in-bound tour in jeopardy by coming to South Africa due to the financial benefits of hosting England.
CSA's acting CEO Kugandrie Govender, however, remains confident that South Africa will be able to host the tourists.
"I've spoken to the SLC CEO as planned. We are obviously providing them with information to give all their stakeholders, including their health authorities, the reassurances they need," she said.
Meanwhile, the postponement of the England tour could also now affect Australia's scheduled tour of South Africa too.
The Aussies are due to play three Tests in South Africa from February 14 through to March 13.
Reports on ESPN Cricinfo, however, claims there have been talks between CSA and Cricket Australia around playing the series in Perth instead.
A detailed biosecurity plan for Perth and Western Australia has already been together for Australia's international season, which could see the Proteas facing the Aussies at the Waca - where they have an enviable record of not having lost a Test match since returning to international cricket in 1991.
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