South Africa to cancel Test series against Bangladesh? Massive update arrives

South Africa National Cricket Team according to the Future Tours Programmes are all set to tour Bangladesh for two matches next month. As per the schedule, the Test series between the teams is all set to begin on October 21. But there's is no clarity if the series will go as per schedule.

As per the reports in ESPNCricinfo, it is learned that Cricket South Africa (CSA), in consultation with the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), will decide by the end of this week whether the Test team will travel to Bangladesh. This is because of the poor situation in the Asian country due to anti-government protests.

The anti-government protests also saw the International Cricket Council (ICC) moving the Women's T20 World Cup 2024. The tournament will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Therefore the future of cricket so far in Bangladesh looks very uncertain, especially with global events also moving out.

The sources close to CSA while talking to ESPNCricinfo said that they are hopeful that they will be travelling to Bangladesh for the two-match Test series. It is learned that the governing body has got hints that the situation in Bangladesh has settled.

Cricket South Africa is not ready to take risks if they identify any threat in the security assessments

But the Cricket South Africa is not ready to take risks if they identify any threat in the security assessments. A collective decision is likely to be made soon. This means that the governing body will leave it to individual players to decide whether they are comfortable with traveling to Bangladesh.

There also have been reports which have stated that there is no thought of playing the Bangladesh Tests elsewhere at the moment. So far there hasn't been any official confirmation about the same from either of the cricket boards.

Even if the Proteas team decides to go to Bangladesh for the two-match Test series, they will be without a few key players. Pacers Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee are unlikely to travel as they have been recovering from their injuries and will be back in action in November.

South Africa are currently placed seventh on the points table of the ICC World Test Championship. To qualify for the final, they need to win at least five of their remaining games. They are left with six Test matches left in the ongoing cycle. In the six games so far they have won two, lost three, and drawn one Test.

In the ongoing cycle, South Africa have played two Test series so they prioritize the SA20, their domestic T20 franchise competition, and cost-cutting. It remains to be seen what will be their future related to the Test series in Bangladesh.

The Proteas team will be next seen in action when they will be touring the United Arab Emirates for the white-ball tour. They will be locking horns with Afghanistan in the three-match ODI series and after that, they will be playing the three-match ODI series against Ireland and the two-match T20I series.