SA to tour Pak for 1st time in 14 years, will play two Tests and three T20Is

Cape Town, Dec 9: Cricket South Africa (CSA) on Wednesday confirmed that its men's team will travel to Pakistan for their first tour since 2007. The tour will consist of two Tests and three T20Is across three venues in Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Lahore respectively. The tour is scheduled to run from January 26-February 14.

South Africa will arrive in Pakistan on January 16. They will then go into a period of quarantine before commencing with training and inter-squad practice matches.

The Test series, which will form part of the ICC World Test Championship, will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi before the teams travel to Rawalpindi for the second fixture taking place from February 4-8.

The three T20 matches will be played at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore -- South Africa's first-ever T20 series in Pakistan. The T20Is will be played on February 11,13 and 14. The last time the two teams met in Pakistan was in 2007 when South Africa beat the hosts 1-0 in a two-match Test series.

South Africa will become the fourth country to tour Pakistan in the last 15 months after Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

"It's pleasing to see so many countries making a return to Pakistan -- a proud, cricket-loving nation. Cricket South Africa is delighted to be counted among them. As someone who has toured the country on more than one occasion back in my playing days, I know how much passion the people of Pakistan have for the game as well as the love and support that the Proteas enjoy there as a team," CSA Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith said in an official release.

"I would like to thank the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the hospitality and transparency they showed our security contingent when they travelled over there a few weeks ago. The report on their findings and recommendations gives us confidence as an organisation that all of our team's security, playing and accommodation needs will be met, and that the wellbeing of the team will be the top priority. We look forward to embarking on this historical tour," he added.