South Africa national cricket team

South Africa

South Africa Cricket's coat of arms
Nickname(s)	Proteas
Association	Cricket South Africa
Personnel
Test captain	Temba Bavuma
One Day captain	Temba Bavuma
T20I captain	Aiden Markram
Test coach	Shukri Conrad
One Day & T20 coach	Rob Walter
History
Hong Kong Sixes wins	5
International Cricket Council
ICC status	Full member (1909)
ICC region	Africa Cricket Association
ICC Rankings Current[1] Best-ever Test 3rd 1st (1 January 1969) ODI 3rd 1st (1 May 1996) T20I 5th 1st (8 August 2012)
Tests
First Test	v  England at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, 12–13 March 1889
Last Test	v  Sri Lanka at St George's Park Cricket Ground, Gqeberha; 5–9 November 2024
Tests Played Won/Lost Total[2] 470 183/161 (126 draws) This year[3] 9 5/3 (1 draw)
World Test Championship appearances	2 (first in 2021)
Best result	Third place (2023)
One Day Internationals
First ODI	v  India at Eden Gardens, Kolkata; 10 November 1991
Last ODI	v  Pakistan at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg; 22 December 2024
ODIs Played Won/Lost Total[4] 681 413/241 (6 ties, 21 no results) This year[5] 9 3/6 (0 ties, 0 no results)
World Cup appearances	8 (first in 1992)
Best result	Semi-Finals (1992, 1999, 2007, 2015, 2023)
Twenty20 Internationals
First T20I	v  New Zealand at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg; 21 October 2005
Last T20I	v  Pakistan at Centurion Park, Centurion; 13 December 2024
T20Is Played Won/Lost Total[6] 196 108/84 (1 ties, 3 no results) This year[7] 23 12/11 (0 ties, 0 no results)
T20 World Cup appearances	9 (first in 2007)
Best result	Runners-up (2024)
Official website	https://cricket.co.za/
Test kit ODI kit T20I kit
As of 22 December 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]