JOHANNESBURG, May 20: A crammed 2002-03 season looms in South Africa following the announcement of the international fixtures by the United Cricket Board (UCB) in Johannesburg on Monday.
In addition to the World Cup, which will be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya from Feb 8 to March 23 next year, the UCB has scheduled six Test matches and 13 One-day Internationals against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan for the first half of the season.
The three touring teams will also play a total of 11 tour matches, adding up to 66 days of cricket spread over 102 days.
Itineraries, 2002-03:
Bangladesh in South Africa:
Sept 27: v NFO XI (Randjesfontein).
Sept 29: v SA Country Districts (Nelspruit).
Oct 1: v South Africa ‘A’ (Soweto).
Oct 3: First One-day International (Potchefstroom).
Oct 6: Second One-day Inter-national (Benoni).
Oct 9: Third One-day International (Kimberley).
Oct 12-15: v SA Country Districts (Bedford).
Oct 18-22: First Test (East London).
Oct 25-29: Second Test (Potchefstroom).
Sri Lanka in South Africa:
Oct 25-28: v South Africa ‘A’ (Kimberley).
Nov 1-4: v Rest of South Africa (Benoni).
Nov 8-12: First Test (Johannesburg).
Nov 15-19: Second Test (Centurion).
Nov 23: v South Africa ‘A’ (Potchefstroom).
Nov 27: First One-day Inter-national (Johannesburg).
Nov 29: Second One-day International (Centurion).
Dec 1: Third One-day Inter-national (Benoni).
Dec 4: Fourth One-day International (Kimberley).
Dec 6: Fifth One-day International (Bloemfontein).
Pakistan in South Africa:
Dec 3: v NFO XI (Randjesfontein).
Dec 5: v South Africa ‘A’ (Benoni).
Dec 8: First One-day International (Durban).
Dec 11: Second One-day Inter-national (Port Elizabeth).
Dec 13: Third One-day Inter-national (East London).
Dec 14: v Border Invitation XI (Alice).
Dec 16: Fourth One-day Inter-national (Paarl).
Dec 18: Fifth One-day International (Cape Town).
Dec 20-23: v South Africa ‘A’ (Pietermaritzburg).
Dec 26-30: First Test (Durban).
Jan 2-6: Second Test (Cape Town).
WELLINGTON: New Zealand Cricket (NZC) plans to make room for Jeff Wilson, the country’s record rugby union try-scorer — 44 in 60 Tests — who retired Sunday to regain international status in cricket.
NZC Monday said it may take the opportunity to invite the former one-day all-rounder to join eight or 10 World Cup hopefuls for a four-day camp at its new winter base in Darwin, Australia in early June.
New Zealand’s one-day team will be touring the West Indies at the time.
Chairman of selectors, Sir Richard Hadleem said everything will be done to help Wilson make the transition back to cricket and he did not rule out the possibility of inviting Wilson to join the group in Darwin.
However, he said they didn’t want to hurry the 29-year-old Wilson, who last played top-level cricket in 1996-97 for Otago.
“We can’t rush these things, there is a process to go through but it (Darwin) may be something that is tossed about,” Hadlee said.
Wilson played four One-day Internationals against Australia in 1994 when his bowling was rated slightly superior to his batting.
In 26 first-class games for Otago he scored 980 runs at 22.27 and took 93 wickets at 22.32, with a best of five for 34.—Reuters/AP/APP