Australia’s tour to South Africa for a three-match Test series seems can now be moved to a neutral venue. According to an ESPN Cricinfo report, Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia are in talks about playing the Test series at WACA in Perth during February 2021.
The report further stated that both CA and CSA that Perth is being considered as a suitable venue because of the western time zone, which makes it quite amenable to South Africa.
Apart from Perth, UAE is also being considered as an option. The Pakistan Cricket Team played Test matches in UAE for a period of six years and IPL 2020 was also successfully conducted across three venues in the UAE. However, with the composition of both sides consisting of pacers, the conditions in the UAE might not suit them and that is the reason why South Africa are planning their ‘home’ series in Australia in a ‘neutral’ venue in Perth.
Cricket South Africa is currently under scrutiny following the cancellation of England’s ODI series in South Africa because of the viability of the COVID-19 protocols inside the bio-bubble created by the CSA. Not a single of the three scheduled games was played following players and staff testing positive from both camps.
Sri Lanka, who are expected to tour the country for Two Tests by the end of December, might opt to cancel the tour. This is why a neutral venue is being proposed for the big series against Australia, with ICC Test Championship points at stake.