Fresh from defeating Australia in the IT20 in Cardiff, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has confirmed that England women will travel to South Africa in February 2016 to play a three match One-Day International (ODI) series and three match Twenty20 International (T20I) series next February.
The three ODIs will form England's fourth round of matches in the ICC Women's Championship, and will be played on 7
th, 12
th and 14
th February in Benoni, Centurion and Johannesburg. England women are currently in fourth position in the ICC Women's Championship (the qualification tournament for the 2017 ICC Women's World Cup in England) and will be looking to record a series victory in South Africa to leapfrog their hosts, who are currently in second place.
The two sides will then play three T20Is in Paarl, Cape Town and Johannesburg on 18
th, 19
th and 21
st February, with the final two fixtures of the tour being played as double-headers with South Africa men also taking on England men at Newlands Cricket Ground (Cape Town) and Bidvest Wanderers Stadium (Johannesburg) on 19
th and 21
st February.
Commenting on the schedule, ECB's Director of England Women's Cricket, Clare Connor, said:
2016 represents a hugely important twelve months for the England women's team as they embark on the busiest ever international schedule in the history of women's cricket - a year which incorporates four overseas tours and a home series against Pakistan.
The standard of international women's cricket is continually on an upward curve, and South Africa will pose a strong challenge on home soil across the six scheduled matches in February.
The introduction of the ICC Women's Championship has brought a refreshing relevance to every series that we play, and the three ODIs at the start of the tour will be fiercely contested by both sides as they strive towards qualification for the ICC Women's World Cup in England in 2017.
The ensuing three match T20I series will present a valuable opportunity for the players to hone their skills immediately ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 in India next March, and it is fantastic news that for the first time ever in South Africa, the final two T20Is will be televised as double-headers alongside the South Africa v England men's fixtures.
England women's tour to South Africa 2016 schedule in full:
| Date |
Format |
Venue |
| 7.2.16 |
1st ODI * |
Sahara Willowmoore Park, Benoni |
| 12.2.16 |
2nd ODI * |
SuperSport Park, Centurion |
| 14.2.16 |
3rd ODI * |
Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
| 18.2.16 |
1st T20I |
Boland Park, Paarl |
| 19.2.16 |
2nd T20I + |
Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town |
| 21.2.16 |
3rd T20I + |
Bidvest Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg |
* ICC Women's Championship fixture
+ Double-header with men's T20I (South Africa v England)
ICC Women's Championship
The ICC Women's Championship involves the top eight ranked women's teams in the world and over the next two years all teams will play each other in a three-match ODI series either at home or away to create an ICC WC league table. The top four teams will qualify for the ICC Women's World Cup in England in 2017. Countries finishing in the bottom four will take part in the ICC Women's World Cup Qualifier in early 2017 against teams from the ICC's regional structures to determine the final four participants for the event.