In a busy cricketing world, South Africa shows the way forward to other full-member nations
South Africa Cricket
The growth of franchise cricket has enabled loads of countries to join the band-wagon. With Afghanistan declaring the reinstatement of the APL (Afghanistan Premier league), all full-member nations except for Zimbabwe and New Zealand have a fully-functional competition hosted by each cricket board. New Zealand have themselves announced NZ20, which is planned for December 2027. Associates like USA, UAE, Canada and recently even Scotland & Netherlands have become participants of the same trend. Exponential growth of the shortest format and the amount of money associated has triggered a decline of quality in the longest format for a number of Test playing boards. Pakistan and West Indies are prime examples of two countries prioritizing the T20 format which has seen there side falling to the bottom of ICC Test rankings as well as the WTC standings in each cycle.
However, it’s not identical for each group. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have continued to focus on the longest format and their performances have gradually started improving overtime. Bangladesh’s latest win versus Australia away from home, where they were appearing for their first Test match in 23 years, shows the growth this team has shown with the red ball. The T20 competition in these two countries hasn’t functioned in the best possible way. Allegations of match-fixing & corruption, constant change in ownership and lack of a proper identity has led to their management cancelling the tournament previously. Cricket board of South Africa has laid out a close to perfect blue-print by making the SA20 a hit, bringing crowds in large numbers and simultaneously also making sure the performance of their national side persists at the highest level.
Establishing balance between International Calendar and SA20
Cricket South Africa entered the franchise space in 2018 with the Mzansi Super League, which ran for only two seasons and was scrapped forever. The SA20 began in 2023 with six different cities and has been running successfully thereafter. CSA was struggling in terms of finances until the league gave the national board a lifeline which has meant that for the past four years, they have seen millions of profits which is subsequently used to fund the sport at grass-root level and maintaining the infrastructure in the country. The financial stability has also enabled them to maintain their footing at the world stage while enjoying a formidable relationship with bigger associations of India, England, Australia and at the same time, not relying entirely on them as well as the ICC.
Initially when the tournament was launched, Cricket South Africa had to compromise their International schedule in order to ensure its success, which brought severe criticism from various corners. In the 2023-25 cycle, South Africa played only two-match Test series which included merely 6 home fixtures. The selectors were forced to send a second-string squad for a tour to New Zealand in 2024, as their front-line players were part of the SA20 which had clashed with the New Zealand Test series. South Africa were white-washed comfortably by the home side. These minor setbacks have not affected brand of cricket exhibited by the Proteas and their WTC victory against Australia last year is a testament to that fact. Their recent displays in the limited overs format and the ICC tournaments has been commendable as well. South Africa finished as the runners up of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 and has reached a minimum of semi-finals in each of the ICC tournaments conducted since 2023.
Graeme Smith has been serving as the Commissioner of SA20 since it's inception
The ICC trophy jinx, which had troubled South Africa for years was finally broken in June 2025 at Lords with a brilliant come-from-behind victory against the World No.1 and defending champions, Australia. Even in the current cycle, they sit at second place after two away series versus both Pakistan and India, winning three of the four fixtures they have played so far. This run also includes a 2-0 whitewash in India, their maiden series triumph in the country since 2000. South Africa are now scheduled to participate in three multi-format series at home beginning from Thursday. Australia has arrived for 3 ODIs and 3 Tests. Bangladesh will come next to play 2 Tests, 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is. They will finally wrap the home season with another 3 Tests and 3 ODIs against England, which will be followed by the fifth season of SA20. They will visit Sri Lanka for another two-match series after end of the home summer. South Africa did not host a single Test at home in 2025, which gave way go this bumper home season in 2026-27.
Scheduling could have been slightly better if the respective South African and Australian boards had agree to face each other last year. Both the teams are now facing a very hectic one-year run up till the ICC World Cup 2027 scheduled in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. Multiple people working behind the scenes deserve credit for the way CSA has handled itself in the journey of past few years. However, the role of Graeme Smith, South Africa’s most decorated captain and the former director of Cricket South Africa from December 2019 to March 2022 cannot be understated. He is currently serving as the commissioner of SA20. South Africa battles with leagues from Australia, UAE and Bangladesh in the December to February time period and manages to stand out. The quality of cricket has managed to attract the top talent across the world year-on-year. Even the local crowds has come in large numbers and attached themselves with the identity of the favorite franchises which has remain unchanged since inception. Pholetsi Moseki, CEO of cricket, South Africa since 2022, Enoch Nkwe, Director of national team and have performance in CSA and Edward Khoza, executive of domestic cricket are some other names who have played a pivotal role.
South Africa Women has appeared in three finals and a semi-final in the past 4 ICC tournaments. The curse of an ICC trophy in South African limited overs has not yet been broken, nevertheless their status as a top team across both men’s and women’s cricket has stayed undeterred. One area where they not been up to the mark is the absence of a T20 competition for their Women, which is long overdue. The Proteas Women have been part of the franchise circuit in all the different leagues, and belong to the top performing category. It’s high time, CSA works on a full-length plan to start something similar for the Women so that it helps create opportunities for young and upcoming cricketers and provides them a stage to prove themselves.
Coordination with smaller countries and building a strong backup core
For years now, teams from the lower ranking bracket have been petitioning for persistent exposure and gametime versus giants of the World. Not only the Associates but even Ireland, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan fall in the matching category. Every time an ICC tournament comes around and the supposedly weaker sides attract a few eyeballs with their strong displays, the same debate is ignited all over again only to fall into deaf years of the ICC and top cricket councils. The FTP till March 2027 has already been decided and the excuse is repeated whenever this conversation takes shape. However, things have slowly started to move slightly positively in the other direction. Several minnows have recently been given some gametime versus full-members in the T20 format resulting in many upsets. Zimbabwe and Afghanistan have also played a few fixtures across formats versus giants like India, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand etc.
South Africa are leading this charge in order to build an inclusive sporting structure. After their run to the final ICC T20 World Cup 2024, the Proteas faced Afghanistan and Ireland in the limited over formats. Last year, they visited Zimbabwe for two Tests and a T20I tri-series involving New Zealand. South Africa played an instrumental role in helping Namibia inaugurate the new stadium, the Wanderers cricket ground, Windhoek which will be used in the 50-over World Cup next year. Namibia succeeded in the historic one-off T20I by four wickets on the final ball of the contest. They again visited the Namibian shores in September and contested in 3 ODIs as well as another T20I tri-series featuring Zimbabwe. The hosts repeated their mammoth feat yet again defeating the No. 5 ranked side by 18 runs in the opening fixture, although the visitors came back to win the series and later complete a whitewash in the 50-over series. Their Women also toured neighbours Zimbabwe, a No.16 ranked team in the ICC rankings for five-match T20I series. Their board has also extended support for the idea of African T20 Cup lately, unlike the ECB who are consistently refusing the formation of a European T20 Cup due to lack of space in their international schedule.
South Africa have helped both Zimbabwe and Namibia, organizing fixtures to help them grow in different formats
South Africa Men have used 44 separate individuals in ODI format since the end of 2023 Cricket World Cup, easily the highest among all ODI playing nations. Tony De Zorzi, who is not a part of their regular XI has appeared in 22 ODIs*, the highest in that tenure. Post the 2024 World Cup, 42 distinct cricketers have represented them on International stage, highest among full-member and only behind Oman in the top 20 ICC ranked countries. These instances have afforded South Africa a chance to explore their bench strength and the fringe athletes, a chance to express themselves and stake a claim as a regular at the highest level. While Dewald Brewis had already become a household name in the past few years, players like Corbin Bosch, Connor Esterhuizen, Kwena Maphaka, Prenelan Subrayen, Lhuan-dre Pretorius in the shortest format and Bjorn Fortuin, Jordan Hermann and Matthew Breetzke in ODIs have done fairly well. Names like Quinton de Kock, David Miller, Keshav Maharaj, Temba Bavuma are reaching the twilight of their career which means these fresh names will become a constant presence in the coming years. The Women rested a few first-choice cricketers and gave chance to newcomers Miane Smit, Karabo Meso, Caitlin Wyngaard, Seshnie Naidu and Nthabiseng Nini and in the latest Zimbabwe series in a bid to expand their pool.
*The numbers used in this article does not include the 3 ODIs between South Africa and Australia in September 2026
Renewed focus on red-ball format
Since the start of 2015, South Africa participated in 8, 9, 12 and 10 Tests per year. In the same period, the domestic clubs appeared in a minimum of 10 First-Class fixtures each season. A few changes in the domestic structure over the past few years has seen that number go down to 7 per each club. During the inaugural World Test Championship, South Africa was supposed to play 16 Tests but the three-match clash at home versus Australia was scrapped due to COVID-19 pandemic. In the next cycle, they contested in 15 Tests and narrowly missed on a spot in the finals. Due to the introduction of SA20, South African cricket board had to initially find space in the calendar in order to ensure it's successful initiation and as a result, decided to reduce the number of five-day fixtures for the next edition. The Proteas played only 6 two-match Test series in the subsequent cycle. However, they did not let the intensity go down, winning their last 7 clashes to top the table and then eventually beating Australia in the final at Lord's to break their long wait for an ICC title.
Meanwhile, SA20 has also become a hit, thus setting a bright example that International cricket and franchise leagues can co-exist in the similar environment. South Africa will now play 14 Tests in the current WTC cycle, including three matches against both Australia and England at home. In 2025, they also organized two contests with Zimbabwe which was not part of the WTC competition. The focus has largely remained on how to make sure International teams continue to thrive and deliver results. Their overall record on spin-friendly Asian conditions has also seen an improvement lately. They held a 17-21 in Asia record before last year’s tour of Pakistan and India, out of which 6 victories had come in Bangladesh. South Africa have since won three of their previous four Tests as another series in Sri Lanka awaits them early next year.
This year their domestic committee decided to revamp their domestic structure and increase the number of First-Class contests for each club from 7 to 10 in their Division one. The board also manage secured a vacant slot in the calendar this year and avoided a clash with other competing leagues, further strengthening the availability of foreign talent. South Africa Women is the only team other than the Big Three India, Australia and England to include red-ball as part of their plans. They have played 4 games in the past four years and are scheduled to host both India and Australia at home this summer. The FTP the next four year span is yet to be announced where we will get an idea on how different associations are willing to move forward with the red-ball format.
The horses for courses approach
In International cricket, almost everyone follows the identical tactic of employing varied bowling attacks, depending on the circumstances. When appearing in the subcontinental spin friendly tracks, the outlook is heavily swayed in favor of the slow bowling options, whereas in the SENA countries, the make-up of the bowling consists of multiple fasting options. These strategies are prepared beforehand, although each of them can vary depending on how sides read the surface. Generally, the changes happen in the bowling combinations however, South Africa have adopted a new route. The management has identified a few batters and segregated their roles as per their strengths in distinct conditions rather than including the same batters on each tour, which is the common norm.
David Bedingham is one of the few accomplished performers in both County circuit as well as the South African domestic level. A veteran of 136 First-Class outings where he averages more than 51, Bedingham has been consistent name in the final 11 for South Africa whenever they have contested on pace-friendly wickets. Following a 50 on his debut, Bedingham was South Africa’s best player in the second-string squad which was sent for the two games in New Zealand, scoring his maiden hundred at Hamilton. He was also part of a two-match affair in Bangladesh, but was not in consideration for the subcontinental tours of Pakistan and India, only to return back into the squad for the home series versus Australia. During the latest County season, the 32-year old added 1029 runs at an average of 73.5, taking Durham to promotion in the Division 1. He followed it up with a pair of centuries in his previous outing versus Dolphins at Cape Town and looks ready to finally make his mark on the Test arena where he averages only 36 so far.
South Africa promoted the likes of Tony de Zorzi and Tristan Stubbs who are regarded able players of spin. Zorzi hit a terrific hundred against Pakistan at Lahore and added another 55 in the next clash at Rawalpindi, where they tied the series. Stubbs also contributed 76, whereas spin-bowling all-rounder Senuran Muthusamy's 89* stood out as he put on 98 for the final wicket with Kagiso Rabada. The trio of Stubbs, De Zorzi and Muthusamy again delivered for their team in the Guwahati Test versus India, taking them to a mammoth first innings score of 489 and then following it up with 260-5 declared. South Africa completed a dominant 408 run win. These three players had done something similar on the Bangladesh tour two years ago as well prompting the duo of Bavuma and Conrad to finalize this tactic of selecting the batters based as per their skills, in order to get the best results.
The Proteas are keen on building a strong fast-bowling core led by the experience of Kagiso Rabada and the promise of Marco Jansen. Bowlers like Dane Paterson, Birger, Lungi Ngidi, Gerald Coetzee and Kwena Mphaka have dropped in on multiple occasions to aid their national side whenever they are called up. All-rounders Wiaan Mulder and Corbin Bosch have also participated regularly giving their side crucial breakthroughs. The highly experienced Simon Harmer, who has taken 1064 wickets in First-Class cricket makes an appearance whenever the conditions offer plenty of spin. A master with the ball, Harmer has proven his class time and again helping them rack up a hat-trick of wins in the previous three Tests in Asia. A 6-wicket haul in the second innings at Rawalpindi sealed an easy victory in for the visitors. Harmer was unplayable on the spinning tracks of Kolkata and Guwahati, taking 17 wickets at an astonishing average 8.94 and an incredible economy of 1.92. He was awarded the Player of the Series award deservedly. Keshav Maharaj's consistency has been a major factor in the absence of Harmer as a regular for South Africa but even in the limited chances, the 37-year old has taken 69 wickets within merely 14 Tests. South Africa are now embarking on a long home run in the next three months and the fitness of the bowlers will be crucial for their chances in the current WTC cycle. The spinners will have a major role later when they travel to Sri Lanka early next year as head coach Shukri Conrad continues to mix up the personnel, a method which saw South Africa claim a WTC silverware and only one loss in their past 15 tests.
Building an excellent leadership group
South Africa have been blessed with some excellent captains in their cricketing history. Graeme Smith, Hansie Cronje, Shaun Pollock and Faf du Plessis are examples of South Africa's finest in the game. CSA and the national selectors deserve a huge round of applause with the way they have identified and nurtured their leaders. The duo of Temba Bavuma and Aiden Markram belong to the same category. Bavuma took over the role in the five-day format from the former opener Dean Elgar in early 2023. He is also in-charge of the ODI team whenever he has been available with Markram being his deputy in his absence. Aiden Markram is also their regular T20 captain since 2023. A few other names have also been given this opportunity during the absence of their regular skippers in lieu of recognizing future leaders.
Bavuma has been absolutely fantastic in the leadership role having not lost a single Test during his captaincy. South Africa have been victorious in 11 out of 12 attempts with the other being a draw under the 36-year old. He has also been in instrumental in leading the African side to their maiden ICC Cup when they won the WTC versus Australia last year. The 5‘4 athlete has stood tall amongst the best in the world. Most of Bavuma's initial matches as a skipper came at home and he even missed a few Tests due to various injuries. The most impressive result following the WTC title came last year when they visited India's spin-friendly pitches. South Africa folded the hosts for merely 93 in the fourth innings of the Eden Gardens Test and won the clash by 30 runs, having exploited India’s against weakness perfectly. In the next contest, South Africa totally dominated and sealed the win by a massive margin of 408 runs giving them a series triumph in India since 2000. Bavuma's astute planning and expert reading of the game makes him stand out as one of world's finest operators. At 36, he does not have a lot of time left, still with a busy schedule ahead he will be hoping to become the first captain with back-to-back WTC titles. South Africa reached the semifinals in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 losing to Australia and New Zealand respectively. Their record in ODIs has been disappointing apart from those two knockout outings although, with a World Cup to host next year, they will try to fill the World Cup void which will make Bavuma a hero among his fellow citizens.
Shukri Conrad and Temba Bavuma have build a formidable partnership leading South Africa to their maiden WTC title
Aiden Markram became the first-ever captain to drive a South Africa men's side in the finals of ICC World Cup. Under his leadership, Proteas men delivered one of the finest journeys in the T20 World Cup 2024, reaching the final unbeaten until their narrow loss to the eventual champions, India. South Africa were cruising towards the target at one point, only to fall apart in the final five overs. However, they were successful in breaking the knockout jinx which had been their nemesis for almost 32 years. The 31-year old has been a huge force in the domestic circle and led their U-19s to a World Cup triumph in 2014. Having missed out on the silverware two years ago, South Africa again reached the semi-final unbeaten, even defeating the hosts India in the Super Eights of the 2026 T20 World Cup. A Finn Allen special demolished the game with the Kiwis knocking them out by 9 wickets. Markram will be setting his eyes at the 2028 Olympics and the T20 World Cup which will be staged in Australia & New Zealand during the same year. In the absence of both Bavuma and Makram, CSA have trusted the names like Keshav Maharaj, who led a second string South Africa to a 3-2 series victory against New Zealand away from home in the shortest format. Last month, the selectors decided to rest their main players for the Namibia tour and give the responsibility to Bjorn Fortuin. They won the T20I tri-series after losing the opening fixture and then sealed the ODIs 3-0 in a solid audition for Fortuin albeit against a couple of feeble teams.
The captaincy mantle has been slightly more consistent in the Women’s game with only Sune Luus & Laura Wolvaardt leading the group on more than two occasions in both the white-ball formats since the beginning of 2022. They accomplished a hat-trick of final appearances in three consecutive years since 2023, yet could not convert them into a championship victory on each occasion. The lost to Australia at home in the T20 World Cup 2023 and then suffered the same fate against New Zealand next year in the UAE. An impressive run in the 50-over World Cup 2025 was halted by India in the final by a margin of 52 runs, giving the hosts their maiden achievement. England extended their wait for an ICC trophy in the semi-final loss of the T20 World Cup 2026 as both Men and Women are still searching for their first Cricket World Cup. There has been a major upturn in the form of the female side, enhanced by the fact that they had never reached the finals in their previous 14 attempts until the 2023 event at home. Laura Wolvaardt has been an inspirational leader often taking the responsibility in a group full of match-winners. This includes a remarkable solo effort when she knocked out England in the 50-over World Cup semi-final thanks to a mammoth 169, which gave South Africa a gigantic 125-run victory. She will finally be looking to break their jinx at the ICC events and leave a lasting legacy for her successor as well as inspire a young generation of women to dream big.
The ingredients of prosperity for any sporting group lies in a coach-captain partnership and the strategies they use to drive the team forward. CSA has been exceptional in their appointment for the head coaches. Shukri Conrad was handed the role for the longest format and he delivered a silverware in his first assignment. The role was split between Conrad and the Kiwi, Rob Walter. Walter was in-charge of the white-ball group where he ticked off the knockout target each time besides an outing in the final of an ICC World Cup, post which he left to take the job of a head coach for his home nation. Conrad has now taken over both the jobs and will be eyeing a World Cup achievement at home next year. Hilton Moreeng laid the ground work for Proteas Women, building them into a remarkable force who have consistently challenged for the top prize. Having served them from December 2012 to May 2024, Moreeng's departure was followed by Mandla Mashimbyi, who was taken the legacy forward. Credit goes to all the people involved in making these decisions, which are never easy. The flexible culture that South Africa has built is working fairly well barring major trophies, which will ideally be the next mountain would like to conquer.
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