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The South Africa men’s national cricket team represents South Africa in international cricket and is governed by Cricket South Africa (CSA). South Africa are a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

They entered first-class and international cricket in the 1888–89 season against England. By the 1960s, the ICC imposed a ban against the team in opposition to apartheid. They were banned until 1991 and later faced off against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies for the first time.

The Proteas’ only ICC tournament victory came in the 1998 Champions Trophy, but they also won a gold medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. As of June 2024, South Africa ranks 3rd in ODIs, 5th in T20Is, and 4th in Tests.

History

Beginnings and early developments 

The Port Elizabeth Cricket Club, founded in 1843, is the oldest cricket club in the country. The first English team to tour South Africa in 1888, marked the beginning of first-class and Test cricket in the country.

Early Test history 

In 1889, South Africa played their first Test against England at Port Elizabeth, making them the third Test-playing nation. They played their second Test in Cape Town, but these matches, along with others involving the early ‘South African XI.’. Notably, they were not recognized as official Tests until the formation of the Imperial Cricket Conference with England and Australia in 1906.

South Africa lost both Tests, with Johnny Briggs claiming 15 wickets in the second match. Notably, their Test record was poor, with ten defeats and just one draw in their first eleven matches.

The team showed improvement around 1904 and secured its first Test win against England in 1906.

Emergence as a quality international team

South Africa’s first world-class cricket team emerged In the early 1900s. In 1902, South Africa hosted Australia, resulting in a 2–0 series loss, but they drew the first Test. In 1904, South Africa toured England, winning ten out of twenty-two matches, including an upset against an all-England XI.

Notably, they achieved their first official Test win in 1906 against a second-string English team, winning the series 4–1. The 1907 tour of England saw South Africa play their first official Tests. During the 1910–11 tour of Australia, the team recorded their first overseas Test victory at Adelaide, despite losing the series 4–1.

The inter-war years

International cricket was suspended during World War I and led to the cancellation of the Currie Cup, which resumed after the armistice in November 1918. In the 1919–20 season, South Africa hosted the Australian Imperial Forces, losing both games. Australia made its first official tour of South Africa in 1921–22, when the hosts lost 1-0. They havbe faced a challenging period in the 1920s but saw the emergence of new talent in the 1930s.

The post-war years 

South Africa toured England in 1947, where Captain Alan Melville and his deputy Dudley Nourse set a Test record with a third-wicket partnership of 319. South Africa played Tests regularly against England, Australia, and New Zealand until 1970.

In May 1961, they left the Commonwealth and also exited the ICC due to membership rules. According to Apartheid laws, enacted in 1948, enforced racial segregation, preventing non-white players from participating for South Africa in Test cricket.

A rainbow nation 

In the late 1990s, South Africa had the highest ODI winning percentage but was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the 1996 World Cup and lost on countback in the 1999 semi-final. Their notable accomplishments include winning the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 and a Commonwealth Games gold medal in the same year.

21st century Proteas

In 2003, South Africa hosted the ICC Cricket World Cup. They entered the tournament as one of the favorites but were eliminated by one run in the group stages. They also struggled in crucial matches in global tournaments, including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20.

Meanwhile, the racial quota policies changed over the years, with a 2016 rule requiring a minimum of six Black players in South Africa’s matches. Moreover, the addition of players like AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla helped South Africa rise in the  ICC rankings.

In 2012, South Africa claimed the No. 1 spot in the ICC Test Championship following a Test series victory against England 2–0. In February 2014, lost a Test series to Australia but regained the top spot in rankings later that year. Despite their success in Test cricket, their ODI and T20I performances were inconsistent.

In the 2011 World Cup, South Africa topped their group but lost to New Zealand in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, their biggest heartbreak came in the 2015 World Cup semi-final, losing to New Zealand in a rain-affected clash. Following their noteworthy performance in the 2015 tournament, they rose to No. 1 in the ICC ODI Championship.

In the 2019 World Cup, South Africa had a lackluster campaign, failing to qualify for the playoffs. However, they set the record for the highest successful run chase in ODIs in this tournament with 438 against Australia in 2006. Meanwhile, in the 2023 World Cup, they reached the semi-final but lost to Australia. Their unfortunate run persisted as they lost against India in the final of the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in June.

Honours

ICC

Champions Trophy:

• Champions (1): 1998
• T20 World Cup
  • Runners-up (1): 2024

Others

• Commonwealth Games:
  • Gold medal (1): 1998

South Africa women’s national cricket team

The South Africa women’s national cricket team represents South Africa in international women’s cricket, administered by Cricket South Africa (CSA), a full ICC member. The women’s team made their Test debut in 1960 against England. 

The team did not feature in any international matches from 1972 until 1997 due to a sporting boycott. They returned in August 1997 playing an ODI against Ireland and participated in the 1997 Cricket World Cup in India. The Proteas women have featured in every World Cup since its inception, the semi-finals in 2000 and 2017. In addition to that, they have also participated in every Women’s World Twenty20, reaching the semi-finals in 2014 in Bangladesh.

Before 1952, women’s cricket was largely ungoverned in South Africa. In 1952, the South Africa & Rhodesian Women’s Cricket Association (SA&RWCA) was established to oversee women’s cricket in the country.

After the decline of the governing body, the United Cricket Board of South Africa revitalized the game by organizing a successful Women’s/Girls’ Tournament in 1995. Notably, this led to the formation of the South Africa Women’s Cricket Association.

History

First international women’s tours of South Africa 

South Africa’s first women’s Test match began on December 2, 1960, against England at St George’s Oval, which ended in a draw. England won the second game and the final match ended in a draw, giving the English women a 1–0 series win. With this series, South Africa women became the fourth Test-playing nation, following England, Australia, and New Zealand.

Due to Apartheid laws instituted in 1948, Basil D’Oliveira, a ‘Cape Coloured’ player was excluded from a touring England team, leading to the cancellation of the 1968-69 MCC tour.

Additionally, subsequent planned tours of England in 1970 and Australia in 1971-72 were also canceled due to anti-apartheid protests. Meanwhile, a New Zealand women’s team toured South Africa in the 1971-72 season, which they lost 1–0, with the first and last Tests drawn.

Exclusion from international cricket

South Africa was excluded from the 1964 and 1968 Olympics and suspended from international athletics in 1970. In May 1970, the Cricket Council decided to halt all tours to and from South Africa. In 1976, three organizations—SACA, SACBOC, and SAACB—agreed to form a single governing body, the South African Cricket Union.

Additionally, a faction within SACBOC rejected this new body, establishing the rival South African Cricket Board. This has opposed normalizing sports in an apartheid society.

In 1982, rebel tours began, eventually leading to bans for the players involved. Subsequent rebel tours included Sri Lankan and the West Indies teams while Australian teams also toured in the mid-1980s, with the last significant English rebel tour led by Mike Gatting in 1990. In addition, some women’s rebel tours occurred but garnered less attention.

Return to international cricket

In June 1991, the South African Cricket Union and the South African Cricket Board merged to create the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB). The new formation of the governing body saw the end of racial separation in cricket.

The women’s team returned to international cricket in 1997 with a tour of Ireland and England, marking their first ODI matches. They whitewashed Ireland 3–0 in their ODI series. Meanwhile, in England, South Africa struggled, losing the ODI series 2–1. Later in 1997, the team participated in their first Women’s Cricket World Cup.

Raising the profile of the South Africa women’s cricket team

In the 2000 World Cup, South Africa showed improvement, qualifying for the semi-finals where they were defeated by Australia. This achievement raised awareness of women’s cricket in the country. Leading up to the 2005 World Cup hosted in South Africa, they had a disappointing tournament, finishing seventh in the standing with a sole victory.

They continued to struggle in the 2009 and 201 World Cups, finishing seventh and sixth respectively. However, they made a stunning comeback, advancing to the semifinal in the next two editions of the tournament.

Honours

ICC

Women’s T20 World Cup:

• Runners-up (1): 2023

Other

• African Games
  • Silver medal (1): 2023