Cricket South Africa (CSA) today confirmed the One-Day Cup will commence on Saturday, 9 January, with a revised number of 15 matches set to take place in a bio-secure environment (BSE) at Senwes Park, Potchefstroom.
The 50-over competition has been relocated to one stadium and will be played behind closed doors to minimize the risk of transmission of Covid-19.
The six competing franchises remain divided into two pools of three teams each. Defending champions, the Dolphins share Pool A with the Titans and Knights and are scheduled to play each other on a home and away basis within their pool between 9 to 16 January.
The Lions, Cobras and Warriors make up Pool B and are set to get their campaign underway from 29 January to 5 February.
Originally the sides were expected to play a single round of cross-pool matches, but instead, the top two teams of each pool will go head-to-head in the semi-finals on Thursday, 11 February and Friday, 12 February, with Senwes Park hosting the final on Sunday, 14 February.
CSA Director of Cricket Graeme Smith said: “It is great to be able to reaffirm that the Momentum One-Day Cup is going ahead this summer. It is the first limited-overs competition of the season and the respective franchises are raring to get going following a couple of weeks out of competitive action.
“It is unfortunate that we have to reduce the number of matches being played and move the entire competition to one venue, but the restrictions need to be put in place to ensure the tournament goes ahead in a safe environment in accordance with Government regulations.”
Pool A will enter the BSE on Monday evening in preparation for the opening fixture between the Titans and Dolphins on Saturday, starting at 10:00am.
“Cricket South Africa is also pleased to confirm that all 15 matches will be televised live on SuperSport. With both our domestic and international tournaments currently being played behind closed doors, there is a strong appetite for live cricket.
“Televising every match will give fans unprecedented access to domestic cricket and showcase local talent in the absence of attending matches,” concluded Smith.
CSA has also introduced the new ICC Playing Condition where tied matches will be determined as per the following extract:
If the Super Over is a tie, subsequent Super Overs shall be played limited to a minimum of one (1) and a maximum of three (3) to determine the winner. If all three Super Overs are tied the match shall be declared as a tie and the match points only will be shared.
Pools
Pool A: Dolphins, Titans, Knights
Pool B: Lions, Cape Cobras, Warriors
Fixtures
Pool A
9 January - Titans v Dolphins
10 January - Dolphins v Knights
13 January - Knights v Titans
14 January - Dolphins v Titans
15 January - Titans v Knights
16 January - Knights v Dolphins
Pool B
29 January - Cobras v Lions
30 January - Lions v Warriors
31 January - Warriors v Cobras
3 February - Cobras v Warriors
4 February - Lions v Cobras
5 February - Warriors v Lions
Semi-finals
11 Feb - Semi-Final 1: 1st in Pool A vs 2nd Pool B - (No reserve day)
12 Feb - Semi-Final 2: 1st in Pool B vs 2nd Pool A - (No reserve day)
14 Feb - Final: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs Winner of Semi-Final 2
- Cricket South Africa