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| Home / Articles / Adventure and Adrenaline / Cricket in South Africa |
| Cricket in South Africa |
South African cricket was isolated from the rest of the world for 21 years - from 1970 to 1991 - because of the apartheid policies of the former government.
For many years, cricket was regarded as the game of the privileged white man, but great strides have been made to make it a game for all South Africans. Most of the credit for this change must go to the Cricket South Africa's development programme, which started long before the country held its first democratic elections in 1994.
An ever-increasing number of players of colour have made it to the top of the game in South Africa, being chosen to represent the Proteas, but it is at lower levels that the change is most obvious.
The Proteas
Previously known as the Springboks, the Proteas,adapted surprisingly quickly to the demands of the international game in the early 1990's.South African cricket quickly established a reputation as a superb fielding outfit, a reputation soon backed up by its the bowling attack and, after a period of maturing, its batting line-up. In very little time after their return to the international fold the Proteas became one of the elite teams of world cricket.
The Proteas have become a powerhouse in the limited-overs game, ranking for many years as either the best or second best team in the world. In test cricket (the five-day game), they have remained in the upper tier of teams for well over a decade.
The World Cup
Contested every four years, the World Cup, held since 1975, is a limited-overs competition featuring the top cricketing nations of the world.
South Africa made their debut at the World Cup in 1992 making it all the way to the semi-finals losing in an extremely controversial manner in a rain delayed matched.
World Cup hosts
South Africa hosted the World Cup in 2003, and entered the tournament with high hopes of becoming the first nation to win cricket's biggest event on home soil. Unfortunately for the home fans, the Proteas disappointed and failed to reach the Super Sixes stage after yet another defeat that was hard to believe.
Shaun Pollock's team came up one run short of what was required in a rain-affected match against Sri Lanka in Durban, resulting in a tie, which meant that for a second World Cup in succession a tie equalled elimination.
The SuperSport Series
The SuperSport Series is the primary domestic inter-provincial four-day cricket competition. It features six franchises: The Dolphins from KwaZulu-Natal, the Cobras from Western Cape, the Warriors from Eastern Cape, the Lions from Gauteng, the Titans from Northern Gauteng, and the Eagles from Free State.
The prestigious IPL was played in South Africa last year, due to the usual host nation, India, having elections in the country at the time. South Africa hosted a very sucessful tournament and well televised and attended event.
If you need any assistance with accommodation or travel plans around any sporting events in South Africa, don't hesitate to contact us. |
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