Cricket in South Africa
| Cricket in South Africa | |
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| Country | South Africa |
| Governing body | Cricket South Africa |
| National team | South Africa |
| Nickname(s) | The Proteas |
| First played | 1888 |
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Cricket is the second most popular sport in South Africa, and is popular among English-speaking as well as Afrikaans-speaking whites, and the Asian/Muslim community. Report 2015-2016 cricket growth 9.4% in South Africa and in black South African community cricket growth 21% to prefer watching cricket. South Africa is a leading cricket-playing nation in the world, and is one of 10 countries sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to play Test Cricket.
It also hosted the 2003 Cricket World Cup and the inaugural World Twenty20 in 2007.
Cricket in South Africa was established by the British, and the first tour by a side from England took place in 1888–89. Here South Africa played its first Test match (against touring England at Port Elizabeth), becoming the third test nation.
In 1970, the ICC voted to suspend South Africa from international Cricket indefinitely because of its government's policy of apartheid, an overtly racist policy, which led them to play only against the white nations (England, Australia, New Zealand), and field only white players. This decision excluded players such as Graeme Pollock from partaking in international Test Cricket. It would also cause the emigration of future stars like Allan Lamb and Robin Smith, who both played for England, and Kepler Wessels, who initially played for Australia, before returning to South Africa.
The ICC reinstated South Africa as a Test nation in 1991 after the deconstruction of apartheid, and the team played its first sanctioned match since 1970 (and its first ever One-Day International) against India in Calcutta on 10 November 1991.
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