It's become a regular fixture on the channel but now it's gone. Out for a duck. Bowled out before it reaches the crease of 2012.
TVSA can confirm that SABC3 won't be airing cricket over the festive season and has no plans to air any of the January matches either.
It
might be back in February but this hasn't been confirmed so it's highly possible that cricket's going to disappear from the SABC line-up completely.
Three T20 games between New Zealand and South Africa were going to air on SABC3 between 21 and 26 December but they've been pulled because ..? No, no - it isn't the "late arrival of tapes this time" obviously. It's Regular Reason number 2: contracts haven't been finalised so it's been ditched.
The channel will be broadcasting various Afcon games in January so the channel won't be airing the first test between South Africa and New Zealand either. The follow-up ODI's between them also won't be broadcast and none of the matches will be moving to other channels - both SABC1 and 2 will also be airing Afcon games.
The test between South Africa and Pakistan has been scheduled to air on SABC3 in February
but the contract hasn't been finalised for this either so whether or not the national broadcaster airs any national cricket ever again remains to be seen.