Cricket: Australia to play S Africa in Tests

SOUTH AFRICA and Australia are to resume Test-playing relations next year after a gap of 23 years. The South Africans will tour Australia for three months, the first time they have done so since 1964.

Dave Richards, an executive director of the Australian Cricket Board, said in Johannesburg yesterday that the South Africans would tour from December 1993 to February 1994, with Australia making the reverse trip in February and March.

The tours were announced jointly by Richards and the chairman of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, Ali Bacher, who captained South Africa to a 4-0 win in their last series against Australia in 1970.

Richards said the teams would play six Tests, three in each country. During their stay in Australia, South Africa will also compete in a triangular World Series limited- overs competition with the host nation and New Zealand. Australia's itinerary in South Africa will also include eight one-day internationals.

Richards said Australia and South Africa were indebted to the Sri Lankan cricket board, which had agreed to defer a planned tour of Australia in the 1993-94 season to allow the South Africans' trip.

Since their return to the international arena after the lifting of the sporting boycott last year, South Africa have made a tour of India and played in the World Cup, which provided an unexpected success: South Africa reached the semi-finals where they lost by 19 runs to England in Sydney.