Cricket set to resume in South Africa on June 27

Amid the coronavirus situation, a three-team format has been sanctioned by CSA. They will compete in the inaugural Solidarity Cup at SuperSport Park on June 27.

AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock during an ODI match.

Cricket is set to return to South Africa in a new format. Amid the coronavirus situation, a three-team format has been sanctioned by Cricket South Africa; the tournament titled Solidarity Cup is scheduled to held at SuperSport Park on June 27.

The Solidarity Cup will be the showcase event for the brand-new cricket format comprising 24 of South Africa’s top cricketers in three teams, playing two halves in one match. The teams competing in the tournament are the Eagles captained by AB de Villiers, Kingfishers captained by Kagiso Rabada and Kites captained by Quinton de Kock.

SuperSport is the official broadcast partner of the Solidarity Cup. The match will be the first live sport in South Africa since the lockdown was announced in March 2020.

3T rules Three teams of eight players compete in a single match. Each team bats for a total of twelve overs, split between two periods of six overs apiece from each of the other two teams in the match.

 

It will be broadcast on SuperSport 2.

CSA Director of Cricket, Graeme Smith, believes that this new format will bring back the excitement of cricket. “It’s been quite some time since the South African public and fans of cricket worldwide have been able to consume the game we all love. I know that the players are itching to get back into action as well, which is why we as CSA are so excited about the Solidarity Cup. It’s a thrilling new format and a match that is working towards a greater good. We are proud to partner with 3TeamCricket on this project," he said.

AB endorsed the innovative format. "There are very few team sports in the world where you get to play more than one opponent in a single fixture, this is going to be a game changer. We have some very talented cricketers involved who are really excited to return to play with a bang," he said.

Rabada will return to action after suffering a groin injury in February 2020. "It’s been a long wait to get back into action and I’m looking forward to playing again alongside some of the country’s biggest names. We have a good balance of talent and experience in our team and I’m confident that we can walk away with the inaugural Solidarity Cup," said the fast bowler.