Exclusive: Cricket SA Aim to Announce Full 2026/27 Summer Line-Up by Week’s End, White-Ball England Leg in Doubt

The schedule for the inbound tour of England and the rest of the South African summer is being finalised between Cricket South Africa and the related boards, including the England Cricket Board (ECB), the Director of National Teams and High Performance, Enoch Nkwe, tells SportsBoom. 

Summer Schedule 

Having had a rather quiet summer of 2025/26, from the Men's international cricket point of view, due to the International Cricket Council's Future Tour Programme not featuring much Men's international cricket in South Africa, the upcoming 2026/27 summer promises to make up for it. 

Australia and England are set to headline the summer for Men's cricket in South Africa, with Australia set to tour for three Test matches, while England is scheduled to tour South Africa for a multi-format tour that includes three Tests between Mid-December to January 7th and three T20Is and three ODIs thereafter. 

However, recent reports have revealed that the white ball leg of the England series is in jeopardy, with the series clashing with the fifth season of the SA20. 

SportsBoom caught up with Cricket SA's Director of National Teams and High Performance, Enoch Nkwe, to get an update on the latest developments with regard to the matter. 

Nkwe, though he was not in a position to reveal the finer details of the conversations between Cricket SA, the ECB and other boards involved, told SportsBoom that they are aiming to announce the full schedule for the 2026/27 summer by the end of the week. 

"We're still finalising the summer schedule. It's quite a heavy summer, which is exciting. We have a lot of content at home. We're just fitting in a couple of pieces, analysing the dates and all of that. We are pushing to release the full schedule in the next couple of days. We're aiming for the end of this week," Nkwe told SportsBoom.co.za. 

"We're pushing hard, and we're still engaging with different boards around the world to ensure that we finalise the entire summer schedule."

"I'll be honest, there's not much I can give (say) at this point because we're still finalising small pieces. There have been a lot of parts that have been moving, starting from Australia, right up to England, and after that, we have Sri Lanka."  

"So, at the moment, there's nothing I can share, unfortunately, except that we're pushing to announce the full schedule by the end of this week because we are also looking, hopefully, we can get extra content as well. But again, those are discussions taking place," Nkwe added. 

The Evolving Cricket Landscape

While some may be critical of the decision to create a specific window for the SA20, which has affected South Africa's international calendar in the past, the SA20 is vital to the survival and success of the sport in the country. 

A little over two years ago, South Africa sent a Test team filled with new faces to take on New Zealand in two Tests, a feat that was met with criticism from all around the world.

Despite the criticism, South Africa would go on to win the ICC World Test Championship in the same cycle, despite losing the series against New Zealand. 

Nkwe emphasised that they will honour their commitment to the SA20 window as they learn to adapt to the evolving cricket landscape.  

"It is an evolving landscape globally. There's been a window that was agreed upon when it comes to the SA20. We know that we've been operating with them. Obviously, around that, there's been international cricket." 

"There's a dedicated window like in other leagues; there are dedicated windows in their own countries," Nkwe concluded.