New T20 WC Confirmation Cuts Down SA-WI Series Cut Down To 3 T20Is From 5 | Cricket News

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly confirmed the start of the ‘support’ period for the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka for January 31, which has forced Cricket South Africa (CSA) to cut down its planned five-T20I series against the West Indies at the time to just three matches.

The ‘support’ period is one where the ICC begins preparations for the tournament, the teams begin arriving in the host nation, and warm-up matches (if any) begin.

Initially, the T20 series was supposed to run between January 27 and February 6. Now, the final game will be hosted on January 31 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg. The first two will be hosted by Boland Park in Paarl and SuperSport Park in Centurion on January 27 and 29, respectively.

The final match will also be commemorated as the ‘Pink Day’. It’s an annual game in which the South African men’s team wears pink and raises funds and awareness for breast cancer treatment. Generally, ‘Pink Day’ is reserved for an ODI contest, but South Africa isn’t playing any at home this season.

South Africa already have a curtailed home season this time. Most of their matches are out of home, with a tour of Pakistan lined up for next month, where they begin their defense of the World Test Championship title, while also playing three ODIs and three T20Is. That will be followed by an all-format tour to India, which consists of two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is.

Moreover, a lot of the grounds in the country are seeing infrastructural works, and drop-in surfaces are being developed around the country in preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup in the country.

Meanwhile, according to ESPNcricinfo, South Africa have also added three Under-19 fifty-over games against India, to be played between January 3 and 7 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. They’ll serve as preparation for the Under-19 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Namibia and Zimbabwe.