SA20 third edition dates suggest great pains to avoid clash with Proteas' interests

• The dates for the third edition of the SA20 have been confirmed and it would appear every effort has been made to avoid another clash with the Proteas' interests this time - even if it means a highly congested summer of cricket.
• A potential clash with the ICC Champions Trophy in February and March looks to have been avoided, although those exact dates are yet to be announced.
• The SA20 will take place from 9 January to 8 February, two days after the New Year's Test against Pakistan.
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SA20 league commissioner Graeme Smith announced the dates for the third edition of South Africa's T20 tournament on Friday, and it appears that every effort has been made to avoid another disastrous clash with the Proteas' international engagements in the summer.

That is, even if it means a jam-packed summer of cricket in South Africa.

The SA20 tournament has been hugely successful in reviving public interest at grounds around the country with top international players on its books as it looks to inject much-needed cash into the domestic cricket scene.

The third season will take place from 9 January to 8 February next year.

"Following two successful seasons, our plan is to continue to own the South African summer and provide an opportunity for everyone to enjoy some of the biggest names in world cricket, whether in packed stadiums or via the global broadcast," Smith said in an SA20 press release on Friday.

"Our fixtures, auction and player announcements will be revealed over the coming months and planning is already fully in motion."

What is pertinent is that the start of the third edition is set to follow as closely as possible - two days later, in fact - the conclusion of the Test series against Pakistan, which will end with the New Year's Test (3-7 January) in Cape Town.

At a cursory glance, given the unfortunate events of a collision of interests between the SA20 and South Africa's Test cricket commitments with New Zealand earlier this year, an overlap with the ICC Champions Trophy, which will be hosted by Pakistan in February and March in 2025, may just have been avoided, although those exact dates are yet to be confirmed.

The Champions Trophy is the only ICC event won by a senior South African cricket team and that was a long stretch ago under late captain Hansie Cronje in Dhaka in 1998.

Staving off another catch-22 conflict between the national team's interests and the sport's coffers has resulted in a highly congested summer of cricket for the senior men's national team as they host Sri Lanka in two Tests (27 November to 1 December in Durban and 5-9 December in Gqeberha).

On the very next day, on 10 December, the inbound all-format tour against Pakistan commences, starting with three T20 internationals, then followed by three ODIs and two Test matches.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) was severely criticised for disrespecting the integrity of the longest format of the game by sending what was widely regarded as a Proteas 'B team' to New Zealand for a two-Test series which they lost 2-0 earlier this year, while SA cricket's A-listers were obligated to honour their contracts with the Indian Premier League-affiliated SA20 franchises.

READ | SA20 on another scheduling collision course, this time with Champions Trophy

It, naturally, resulted in lamentations over the demise of a once proud Test cricket nation.

However, Smith, who also happens to be South Africa's most successful Test captain, appears to have stayed true to his words.

He said at the time: "We'll have to consider everything, but the Champions Trophy dates are still not cast in stone. We'll work with the ICC and CSA. There's already communication happening behind the scenes in terms of scheduling. So, we'll have to work with that in season three - and, once we've got confirmation, we can make informed decisions."

The Sunrisers Eastern Cape, who are captained by the Proteas' T20 skipper Aiden Markram, have won both SA20 editions since its launch in the summer of 2023.