Cricket SA chief Pholetsi Moseki is optimistic about securing a new broadcast deal for the England cricket tour of South Africa after SkySports ended its 30-year coverage, with the tour featuring three ODIs and three Tests from December 17 to January 15. Picture: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Image: Sydney Mahlangu/BackpagePix
Cricket SA (CSA) chief Pholetsi Moseki is confident they will sign a new broadcast deal for the England cricket tour of South Africa at the end of the year.
This comes after English broadcaster SkySports pulled out of the tour, which includes three One-Day Internationals and also three Tests. The tour runs from December 17 to January 15.
The Test series will take place first, with the first Test starting at the Wanderers on December 17.
Boxing Day Test cricket will then return to South Africa after its notable absence in 2025, as SuperSport Park in Centurion hosts the traditional match starting on December 26. The third Test will start on January 3 at Newlands in Cape Town.
Meanwhile, SkySports has called an end to its 30-year run of broadcasting England’s tours to South Africa.
“This is not a surprise. We're definitely aware that Sky, in the last few years, has held back from buying England’s outbound tours. So, there was no surprise. Sky hasn't bought the games in India when England was touring there, or even Australia for the Ashes. So, it's been like that for the last year to eight months, where Sky basically stopped buying England outbound tours,” Moseki told Ongama Gcwabe for SportsBoom.co.za.
“We're not really worried about it, to be honest. There's still quite a long time before the English come here, so we're not really concerned at all. Our guys are still negotiating. We'll get a partner. Fortunately, we still have more than a year with SuperSport. So, we'll see when that one ends, what are the implications of all these changes that are happening everywhere.”