Absence of home Tests hurts Proteas brand

By not hosting Test matches over the festive period — as is tradition — Cricket SA (CSA) has surrendered the momentum generated by the Proteas national teams this year.

Kelvin Watt, head of Nielsen Sports Africa and Middle East, said while it was difficult to assess any reputational damage CSA may incur, it wasn’t a good look for the sport that the Proteas men’s team had such a limited schedule this summer.

“Cricket had created real momentum — with the success of the Proteas in winning the World Test Championship and then winning in India — and so it is very, very disappointing that fresh off such a successful year there’s virtually no international cricket,” said Watt.

The Proteas men’s team, the primary economic generator for the sport in this country, will play just three T20 Internationals on home soil this season.

That series, against the West Indies, at the end of January, was originally scheduled to be five matches but was reduced because of a change to the schedule for the T20 World Cup that starts in India on February 7.

The traditional Boxing Day and New Year’s Tests, will be replaced by the start of the SA20 this season. It is the first season since South Africa returned from sporting isolation that there are no home Tests.

Instead of Centurion hosting the first day of a Test on December 26, the SA20 opens with a match in Cape Town, while the traditional start to the New Year’s Test on January 3, will instead see two fixtures at the Wanderers and Centurion.

It would be harsh to blame the CSA entirely for the absence of Test cricket this summer. The nature of the WTC structure, the “Big Three’s” dominance of the calendar — by playing five-match Test series, and the need for a limited-overs men’s tournament every year — puts a squeeze on time available for a more comprehensive programme.

With South Africa’s tour to India only finishing on December 19, the Ashes and West Indies playing in New Zealand, it leaves Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh of the major nations unoccupied at the moment.

Given South Africa played Pakistan and Sri Lanka last season, and will face Bangladesh next summer, those were not options for CSA, while Afghanistan isn’t attractive as a Test side.

Watt said he’d have liked to see CSA do more to elevate the Proteas women’s team, particularly in light of their recent run to the World Cup final that captivated the country.

“Having seen the success the team had in reaching World Cup finals, and we also have the best batter in the world [Laura Wolvaardt], to have a series like Ireland doesn’t really generate excitement. They missed a trick in not getting a bigger team to tour here and then hosting them in some of the bigger venues,” said Watt.

“It’s a disappointment, but there is a lack of imagination and foresight at CSA. I’ve generally found they adopt quite a conservative approach.”

Wolvaardt’s team played a three match T20 series against Ireland and began a three-match ODI series in East London yesterday. Like the men, the women will also have a very busy 2026/27 summer, hosting India in December in an all-format series, and then Australia in March 2027.

Given the high-profile men’s matches — with tours by Australia and England next season — the women do risk being pushed to the margins.

Watt also foresees another challenge. “There is the economy and exactly how much money prospective spectators might have. The All Blacks tour here in August and September is going to be popular, and then we will have to see how much South African fans are willing to pay after that.”