Cricket South Africa manages the Proteas, South Africa’s men’s international cricket squad (CSA). South Africa is an ICC Test, ODI, and T20I member. Protea cynaroides, the “King Protea,” is South Africa’s national flower. When they hosted England in 1888–89, South Africa played first-class and international cricket. By the early 20th century, the team had developed experience and could compete with Australia and England. The team played Australia, England, and New Zealand until the 1960s, when apartheid was widely opposed. The ICC banned the team, following other worldwide sports organizations. South Africa had outplayed Australia and was likely the finest team in the world when the ban was issued.
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South Africa first played India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the West Indies in 1991 when the ban was lifted. Since its restoration, the team has repeatedly topped international rankings. South Africa also dominates ODI cricket, winning over 60% of their matches. Its only ICC tournament win was the 1998 Champions Trophy. 1998 Commonwealth Games champion South Africa. ODIs, T20Is, and Tests rank 6th, 3rd, and 3rd, respectively, as of October 2022.
History of South Africa Cricket:
Early stages and beginnings
The Dutch East India Company founded the Cape Colony on Table Bay at Cape Town on Tuesday, April 6, 1652, and expanded into the hinterland through the 17th and 18th centuries. It was created as a victualling stop for the Dutch East Indies trade route but became important due to its good farming and mineral abundance. After France captured the Netherlands in 1795, General Sir James Henry Craig’s troops seized Cape Colony in South Africa. Cape Colony became a permanent British settlement in 1806 after the British retook it to counter French interests in the Napoleonic Wars. British colonization introduced cricket to most of the world, which quickly developed. The first South African cricket match was played in Cape Town in 1808 between two service teams for a thousand rid-dollars.
The 1843-founded Port Elizabeth Cricket Club is South Africa’s oldest. Cape Town first hosted “Mother Country v Colonial Born” in 1862. By the late 1840s, the game had expanded from Cape Colony to Afrikaners in Orange Free State and Transvaal, descendants of Dutch settlers who were not natively cricket players. South African municipalities competed with Port Elizabeth’s “Champion Bat” in 1876. Port Elizabeth hosted the first tournament. King William’s Town Cricket Club won the 1876 and 1877 tournaments. Sir Donald Currie financed England’s first South African tour in 1888. Major R. G. Warton managed and future Hollywood actor C. Aubrey Smith captained it. South African first-class and Test cricket began with the tour. Currie donated the Currie Cup (formerly called the Kimberley Cup), which Transvaal won in 1889–90 for a South African provincial team tournament.
Initial Test history:
Owen Robert Dunell led South Africa to its third test match against England in Port Elizabeth in 1889. A Cape Town second test followed. These two matches, like all early matches involving the “South African XI” against all visiting teams, did not become official “Test” matches until 1906, when South Africa founded the Imperial Cricket Conference alongside England and Australia. Major Warton’s touring English team was billed as ‘Major Warton’s XI’ v/s ‘South African XI’. The team that played South Africa was weak, and the players didn’t know they had played international cricket. The Sussex medium bowler C.
Aubrey Smith captained the team, and Basil Grieve and The Honorable Charles Coventry played their whole first-class careers in the two Tests. The embryonic “South African XI” lost both tests to England, with Johnny Briggs taking 15–28 in the second Test at Cape Town. However, Albert Rose-Innes became the first South African Test bowler to capture five wickets at Port Elizabeth.
Emergence as an elite international team of South Africa:
The first world-class South African cricket squad was formed in the early 1900s, with stars including Bonnor Middleton, Jimmy Sinclair, Charlie Llewellyn, Dave Nourse, Louis Tancred, Aubrey Faulkner, Reggie Schwarz, Percy Sherwell, Tip Snooke, Bert Vogler, and Gordon White. In addition to players like Sinclair (the batsman with the best strike rate in Test history), Nourse, Tancred, all-rounder Faulkner, Sherwell, Snooker, and White, the South Africans produced the world’s first (and probably greatest) googly spin attack. Schwarz was the best of the South African googly quartet, inspired by Bernard Bosanquet, the googly’s originator.
He meticulously taught allrounder Faulkner, medium-pacer Vogler, and specialist batter White the secrets of the googly, and the quartet began to lead The Proteas to unparalleled heights in Test cricket. South Africa also relied on Faulkner and Llewellyn’s all-around play. Faulkner was the first great South African all-rounder in international cricket, and some considered him the best in the world before the First World War.
In 1902, the Australian cricket team toured The Proteas with a formidable lineup that included Victor Trumper, Joe Darling, Clem Hill, Syd Gregory, Monty Noble, Reggie Duff, Warwick Armstrong, Hugh Trumble, and Ernie Jones. Llewellyn’s all-round performance helped South Africa draw the first game at Johannesburg and force the touring side to follow on, even though they lost the 3-match Test series 2–0.
The years between the wars:
International cricket was put on hold for a while because of the war. Before the war, the Currie Cup didn’t happen during the Boer War (1899–1902) or when England sent a touring team. During the war, the Currie Cup almost didn’t happen at all (1914–18). With the end of the war in November 1918, cricket in The Proteas went back to normal.
After World War I, South Africa hosted the Australian Imperial Forces for the first time in 1919–20. On that team were cricket players like Jack Gregory, Herbie Collins, Bert Oldfield, and Nip Pellew. Both times they played against the South African XI, they lost.
In 1921–1922, Australia was the first team from another country to go to The Proteas on a real tour. The first two tests, which took place in Durban and Johannesburg, were tied. Australia won the third test by 10 wickets to win the series 1-0. Herbie Taylor, who led the South African team as captain, scored 200 runs in 33.33 minutes. Claude Carter was the best bowler for the South Africans. He took 15 wickets at a rate of 21.93.
Post-war years:
In 1947, a cricket team from The Proteas went to England for a tour. At Trent Bridge, Alan Melville, the captain, and Dudley Nourse, the vice-captain, had a 319-run third wicket partnership, which was a Test match record. The 1948 MCC Test matches in South Africa were led by 38-year-old Nourse, who was the captain of Natal the year before.
Up until 1970, they kept playing regular series of games against England, Australia, and New Zealand. Due to the rules of the Imperial Cricket Conference (ICC), The Proteas had to leave the ICC when it left the Commonwealth in May 1961. Even though the rules were changed in 1964 to make it possible for other countries to join as “Associate” members, South Africa did not reapply. Due to South Africa’s apartheid laws, which made racial segregation legal in 1948, no “non-white” (legally defined as “black,” “colored,” or “Indian”) player could play Test cricket for South Africa.
Proteas of the twenty-first century:
The Proteas, one of the favorites in the 2003 World Cup, was eliminated in the group stages by one run after miscounting their runs. They were criticized for losing crucial matches in major championships including the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy and 2007 ICC World Twenty20. The team changed again after Donald, Cronje, and Pollock retired. Graeme Smith was captain, but Ashwell Prince took over on July 12, 2006, after Smith and Jacques Kallis were injured. He became the first non-white South African cricket captain at 29. Although the racial quota regulation was overturned in 2007, a 2016 rule required the squad to have an average minimum of six Black players, two of whom must be Black African, in matches during the season.
AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla helped the South African cricket team climb the ICC rankings. India and England briefly held the top spot in the ICC Test Championship when several of the early 2000s Australian players departed. South Africa won a Three-Test series in England in 2012 to become world No. 1. The team South Africa won the series 2–0 and topped the rankings for a year from 20 August 2012. The Proteas became the first team to lead all three versions eight days later on 28 August 2012.
The Proteas defeated Australia in a Test series in February 2014, and the winner was rated No. 1. Australia won 2–1. The Proteas regained the top spot later in the year. Test cricket ranks South Africa 6th as of 4 May 2020.
Tournaments played by The Proteas:
The Proteas is reviled for failing to win world cups. Before the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule, the 1992 Cricket World Cup semi-final was weather-affected. Rain interrupted South Africa’s 22-run requirement from 13 balls. They needed 22 runs from one ball after the delay. Despite qualifying first and being a favorite, they were ousted in the quarterfinals in 1996. South Africa lost the 1999 semi-final to eventual champions Australia. The team The Proteas and Australia tied at 213 but Australia went to the Final because they placed higher in the group.
South Africa hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup but failed to advance past the group stage after miscalculating how many runs they needed to achieve in a rain-affected run chase. Shaun Pollock quit as captain and was replaced by young batsman Graeme Smith, but he continued to play. South Africa has had success under Smith, but the retirements of Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes have hurt them. The Windies were their sole win in 2004.
They experienced a rollercoaster 2007 Cricket World Cup, with overwhelming wins over England, the West Indies, Ireland, Netherlands, and Scotland, a tight win over Sri Lanka, and devastating losses to Australia, New Zealand, and Bangladesh that cost them the No. 1 spot. In the semi-finals, Australia knocked them out for 149 and won by 7 wickets, their lowest World Cup score. South Africa won Group B in the 2011 World Cup by bowling out every team within 50 overs, including hosts India. They lost eight wickets for 64 runs in the quarterfinals to New Zealand.
A team’s colors:
New Balance replaced Adidas as South Africa’s kit manufacturer in 2016. South Africa’s Test cricket whites have the South African Sports Commission’s king protea badge with the flag above it on the left, Standard Bank’s name and logo on the right, and New Balance on the right sleeve. South African fielders use green caps or white sun hats with the king protea logo. Green helmets. Before 1996, the cap insignia was the United Cricket Board of South Africa’s former badge, a circle with a ball superimposed over a wicket in the center and “UNITED CRICKET BOARD OF SOUTH AFRICA” around the circle. Before 1991, the cap insignia was a springbok head with “S.A.C. B” in yellow lettering (which changed to “S.A.” with the years of the tour, for instance, “S.A. 1982–83”).
Squad:
This is a list of every active player who is on the most recent Test, ODI, or T20I squad or has a national contract with Cricket South Africa. (New as of November 25, 2022)
CSA gave national contracts to 16 players for the years 2022–2023. From these players, the core of the Test, One-Day, and Twenty20 International teams will be chosen. Non-contracted players can still be picked, and if they are picked regularly, they can get a Cricket South Africa contract.
| Name | Age | Batting style | Bowling style | Domestic team | Forms | Contract | S/N |
| Batters | |||||||
| Temba Bavuma | 32 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Lions | Test (vc), ODI & T20I (c) | N | 11 |
| Dean Elgar | 35 | Left-handed | Left-arm orthodox | Titans | Test (c) | N | 64 |
| Sarel Erwee | 33 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | Dolphins | Test | 40 | |
| Reeza Hendricks | 33 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | Lions | ODI, T20I | N | 17 |
| Janneman Malan | 26 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Boland | ODI | N | 82 |
| Aiden Markram | 28 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Titans | Test, ODI, T20I | N | 4 |
| David Miller | 33 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | Dolphins | ODI, T20I (vc) | N | 10 |
| Keegan Petersen | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Dolphins | Test | N | 93 |
| Rilee Rossouw | 33 | Left-handed | Right-arm off break | Knights | T20I | 32 | |
| Tristan Stubbs | 22 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Warriors | T20I | 30 | |
| Rassie van der Dussen | 33 | Right-handed | Right-arm leg break | Lions | Test, ODI, T20I | N | 72 |
| Khaya Zondo | 32 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Dolphins | Test | 73 | |
| All-rounder | |||||||
| Marco Jansen | 22 | Right-handed | Left-arm fast | Warriors | Test, ODI, T20I | 70 | |
| Wiaan Mulder | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium | Lions | Test | 13 | |
| Andile Phehlukwayo | 26 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Dolphins | ODI, T20I | N | 23 |
| Dwaine Pretorius | 33 | Right-handed | Right-arm medium-fast | North West | ODI, T20I | N | 29 |
| Wicket-keepers | |||||||
| Quinton de Kock | 30 | Left-handed | — | Titans | ODI, T20I | N | 12 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 31 | Right-handed | — | Titans | T20I | 45 | |
| Ryan Rickelton | 26 | Left-handed | — | Lions | Test | 44 | |
| Kyle Verreynne | 25 | Right-handed | — | Western Province | Test, ODI | 97 | |
| Spin bowlers | |||||||
| Keshav Maharaj | 32 | Right-handed | Left-arm orthodox | Dolphins | Test, ODI (vc), T20I | N | 16 |
| Tabraiz Shamsi | 32 | Right-handed | Left-arm unorthodox | Titans | ODI, T20I | N | 26 |
| Simon Harmer | 33 | Right-handed | Right-arm off break | Titans | Test | 47 | |
| Seam bowlers | |||||||
| Lungi Ngidi | 26 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Titans | Test, ODI, T20I | N | 22 |
| Anrich Nortje | 29 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Warriors | Test, ODI, T20I | N | 20 |
| Duanne Olivier | 30 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Lions | Test | 74 | |
| Wayne Parnell | 33 | Left-handed | Left-arm medium-fast | Western Province | ODI, T20I | 7 | |
| Kagiso Rabada | 27 | Left-handed | Right-arm fast | Lions | Test, ODI, T20I | N | 25 |
| Lutho Sipamla | 24 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast | Lions | Test | 65 | |
| Glenton Stuurman | 30 | Right-handed | Right-arm fast-medium | Warriors | Test | 56 |
Coaching staff:
| Position | Name |
| Team manager | |
| Director of cricket | Enoch Nkwe |
| Head coach | Malibongwe Maketa (interim) |
| Batting coach | Justin Sammons |
| Bowling coach | Charl Langeveldt |
| Fielding coach | Justin Ontong |
| Physiotherapist | Craig Govender |