CHENNAI: Ten years after their first Test match in India, South Africa women will play a red-ball fixture in the country, starting June 28 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Along with the four-day Test match, the two sides will face each other in six white ball fixtures - three ODIs (starting from June 16) and three T20Is (starting from July 5) before leaving for the Asia Cup, starting in Sri Lanka on July 19.
Bengaluru is scheduled to host three ODIs from June 16, while Chennai will host the Test match followed by three T20Is from July 5 till July 9. This is the first women's Test match in the city since 1976 when India hosted West Indies.
The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side last played two Tests against England and Australia in December 2023. On the other hand, Laura Wolvaardt made her Test captaincy debut against Australia in Perth earlier this year. For the promotion of red-ball cricket, the BCCI also restarted the Senior Women's Inter Zonal multi-day trophy this year with Pune hosting the fixtures.
Other than the Test match, all the white ball fixtures are part of the ICC's Future Tours Program. According to the detailed document, the fixtures against South Africa and New Zealand were scheduled to happen around July and September but needed to be postponed due to the Men's ODI World Cup in India. All three ODIs are part of the Women's ODI Championship as the top six teams will qualify for the 2025 ODI World Cup in India, while the T20Is, scheduled to be played after the Test match, could help both sides prepare for the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh later this year.
Schedule:
1st ODI: 16 June Bengaluru
2nd ODI: 19 June Bengaluru
3rd ODI: 23 June Bengaluru
One-off Test: 28 June to 1 July Chennai
1st T20I: 5 July Chennai
2nd T20I: 7 July Chennai
3rd T20I: 9 July Chennai
