The schedule for the Proteas men’s team is lopsided and continues to hurt the team’s ability to compete at the international level.
Eyes have been on Cricket South Africa after the SA20 clash with the New Zealand tour showed where priorities had been fixed.
Now just as we did last season, the Proteas are set for a long winter break.
They will not have any international engagements until May when they visit the Caribbean to face the West Indies.
The March and April period is largely devoid of international cricket as it has been earmarked as the IPL window.
While the series in the West Indies in May serves as immediate preparation, the scheduling approach is a less-is-more kind of thing right now.
The Proteas were drawn against Netherlands, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal in Group D of the 2024 T20 World Cup with the tournament set to take place in the West Indies and USA.
At the 2024 tournament, the Proteas will open their campaign against Sri Lanka in New York on 3 June. The Proteas will stay at the same venue for their next two fixtures against the Dutch on 8 June and Bangladesh on 10 June.
The South Africans will then jet off to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before taking on Nepal on 14 June.
Only the top two teams in each of the four groups will qualify for the Super 8s which precede the knockout stages.
The Proteas will travel to Ireland for three T20Is and three ODIs in July before a return to the West Indies in August.
A two-match Test tour of Bangladesh follows in October before a home summer that will see the Proteas welcome Sri Lanka and Pakistan.
Compared to nations they will be competing against the Proteas risk being severely underdone for another World Cup.
