SA-England series now five-star affair

Durban: Future Test series between South Africa and England have been granted 'icon' status by the controlling bodies of both countries to put them on a level similar to the Ashes series between England and Australia.

This means that all future series between the two countries will consist of five Test matches and seven One Day Internationals, as was previously the case. The next series between South Africa and England will take place in South Africa in the summer of 2009/10.

The proposal has been agreed to in principle by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), subject to operational and logistical issues being finalized.

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Announcing the news on Wednesday, South Africa President Norman Arendse said: "This is a wonderful recognition for South African cricket and the Proteas Castle Test squad which has given great performance in recent months to gain second place on the ICC Reliance Mobile Test rankings."

"It is also important to emphasize the fact that Test cricket remains the ultimate level of international competition and this is born out by this latest agreement between our two boards."

All Test series between South Africa and England have been intensely contested since South Africa's re-admission to world cricket. There have been six series between the two countries with each side winning two and the other two being shared.