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SA have withdrawn from the one-day international series with Australia in January after host board Cricket Australia (CA) was unable to accommodate a request to reschedule.
CA said Cricket SA had asked to shift the series, which was scheduled for Hobart (January 12), Sydney (January 14) and Perth (January 17) because it clashes with their own domestic T20 competition.
“Unfortunately, due to the congested international schedule including the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, there are no alternative dates available,” CA said in a statement on Wednesday.
CA said SA had agreed that Australia would be awarded the competition points, pending approval from the International Cricket Council.
SA's forfeit could affect their chances of qualifying directly for next year's one-day World Cup in India.
The Proteas are 11th in the World Cup Super League standings, with only the top seven teams apart from hosts India to qualify directly for the 10-team tournament.
SA's Test team are scheduled to tour Australia for a three-match series starting in Brisbane on December 17.
Australia pulled out of their Test tour of SA last year citing heath risks amid the Covid-19 pandemic, a decision greeted by disappointment and frustration by Cricket SA. — Reuters