The Proteas’ interest in touring Pakistan for three T20Is later this year has been withdrawn.

Appropriate management of players’ workloads was cited for the withdrawal. The Pakistan Cricket Board and Cricket South Africa will reschedule the tour after establishing a suitable period for the three T20Is.

‘This has purely been done because of the heavy workload and international schedule our players are facing in the immediate future,’ said Cricket South Africa acting chief executive officer Jacques Faul. ‘I have assured my counterpart at the PCB, Wasim Khan, that the tour remains very much on our international schedule.

‘I would also like to stress that security was not an issue in asking the PCB for this postponement. We will now work together to find an appropriate window in the international cricket calendar.’

South Africa will conclude a four-Test, three-ODI and three-T20I series against England later this week. They will then host Australia for three T20Is. The Pakistan Super League, meanwhile, will soon start in Lahore, Rawalpindi and other cities.

Pakistan and South Africa will compete in the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. They have been placed in separate groups.

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The Proteas and Pakistan have contested 14 T20Is since the first in 2007. The former have won eight and the latter six.

South Africa have not toured Pakistan since 2007, when two Tests and five ODIs were played. The tourists won the Test and ODI series.

Five Proteas – batsmen Hashim Amla, David Miller, Faf du Plessis, spinner Imran Tahir and fast bowler David Miller – toured Pakistan with the International Cricket Council’s World XI in 2017.

International tours to Pakistan slowed significantly after 2009’s terror attack on the Sri Lankan team bus.

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