South Africa national cricket team

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see South Africa women's national cricket team.

South Africa
South Africa Cricket's coat of arms
Nickname(s)Proteas
AssociationCricket South Africa
Personnel
Test captainTemba Bavuma
One Day captainTemba Bavuma
T20I captainAiden Markram
Test coachShukri Conrad
One Day & T20 coachRob Walter
History
Hong Kong Sixes wins5
International Cricket Council
ICC statusFull member (1909)
ICC regionAfrica Cricket Association
ICC Rankings Current[1] Best-ever
Test 4th 1st (1 January 1969)
ODI 3rd 1st (1 May 1996)
T20I 5th 1st (8 August 2012)
Tests
First Testv  England at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, 12–13 March 1889
Last Testv  Bangladesh at Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong; 29–31 October 2024
Tests Played Won/Lost
Total[2] 468 181/161
(126 draws)
This year[3] 7 3/3 (1 draw)
World Test Championship appearances2 (first in 2021)
Best resultThird place (2023)
One Day Internationals
First ODIv  India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata; 10 November 1991
Last ODIv  Ireland at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi; 7 October 2024
ODIs Played Won/Lost
Total[4] 678 413/238
(6 ties, 21 no results)
This year[5] 6 3/3
(0 ties, 0 no results)
World Cup appearances8 (first in 1992)
Best resultSemi-Finals (1992, 1999, 2007, 2015, 2023)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20Iv  New Zealand at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg; 21 October 2005
Last T20Iv  India at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg; 15 November 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost
Total[6] 194 106/84
(1 ties, 3 no results)
This year[7] 21 10/11
(0 ties, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances9 (first in 2007)
Best result Runners-up (2024)
Official websitehttps://cricket.co.za/

Test kit

ODI kit

T20I kit

As of 15 November 2024

The South Africa men's national cricket team, also known as the Proteas, represents South Africa in men's international cricket and is administered by Cricket South Africa (CSA). South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC). Its nickname derives from South Africa's national flower, Protea cynaroides, commonly known as the "King Protea".

South Africa entered first-class and international cricket at the same time when they hosted an England cricket team in the 1888–89 season. Initially, the team was no match for Australia or England but, having gained experience and expertise, they were able to field a competitive team by the first decade of the 20th century. The team regularly played against Australia, England and New Zealand through to the 1960s, by which time there was considerable opposition to the country's apartheid policy. The ICC imposed an international ban on the team, commensurate with actions taken by other global sporting bodies. When the ban was imposed, South Africa had developed to a point where its team was arguably the best in the world, and even out-played Australia.

The ban remained in place until 1991, after which South Africa played against India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the West Indies for the first time. The team has been strong since its reinstatement, and has at several times held the number-one positions in international rankings. South Africa is also one of the most successful teams in ODI cricket, winning more than 61 per cent of their matches.[8] However, the 1998 Champions Trophy is its sole success in ICC-organised tournaments. South Africa won the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in 1998.[9]

As of June 2024, the team is currently ranked 3rd in ODIs, 5th in T20Is and 4th in Tests.[10]

  1. ^ "ICC Rankings". International Cricket Council.
  2. ^ "Test matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  3. ^ "Test matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  4. ^ "ODI matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  5. ^ "ODI matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  6. ^ "T20I matches - Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  7. ^ "T20I matches - 2024 Team records". ESPNcricinfo.
  8. ^ "Records; One-Day Internationals; ESPN Cricinfo". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  9. ^ The Commonwealth Games Experience by Shaun Pollock ESPN Cricinfo
  10. ^ "ICC overview of Player Rankings International Cricket Council". International Cricket Council. Retrieved 28 January 2021.