In all competitions run by the International Cricket Council, such as the ICC Champions Trophy, ICC Cricket World Cup, and World Test Championship, only the South Africa cricket team players represent the Republic of South Africa. Additionally, in all international bilateral and multilateral series that are occasionally recognized by ICC, this team represents the Republic of South Africa.
History
When South Africa played a two-match series against the England cricket team starting on March 12 at Port Elizabeth, it became the third team to play Test cricket. But South Africa was defeated 2-0 in the series.
On November 10, 1991, the South Africa ODI squad played their first One Day International match against India in Kolkata. The Indian team won the three-match series by a score of 2-1.
When the New Zealand cricket team travelled to Johannesburg as South Africa's opponent on October 21, 2005, and defeated the newcomer by a margin of five wickets, the T20 International cricket was introduced to South Africa.
For societal issues occurring in the nation, the South African Cricket team was prohibited from playing in international cricket in 1970. After the ban was lifted in 1991, the South African squad quickly rose to become one of the best in cricket.
Due to their exclusion from international cricket, the South African cricket team has taken part in every ICC competition, with the exception of the first four Cricket World Cups. It was also the first team to win the ICC Champions trophy in 1998, and the success now stands as its lone ICC tournament triumph to date.
The South African team has won 38 out of the 64 games it has played so far in eight World Cups. South Africa has one of the highest winning percentages in the ODI World Cup with only 23 losses. Nevertheless, despite having participated in four semifinal matches so far in 1992, 1999, 2007, and 2015, they have failed to compete in a World Cup final.
The initial ICC Champions Trophy was won by South Africa, which has also competed in all editions of the tournament. Over the course of eight tournament editions, it has participated in 24 games, winning 12 of them. Also, it has played in the semifinals of the competition 5 times in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2006 and 2013.
South Africa T20 squad hosted the ICC T20 World Cup for the first time in 2007, although they were ousted in the Super 8 round. The team has so far competed in six T20 World Cups and played 30 matches in the competition over a nine-year period. It has two semifinal appearances (in 2009 and 2014), 18 wins, and 12 losses.
Cricket South Africa, which has its main office in Johannesburg, South Africa, is the ultimate authority recognized by the International Cricket Council for cricket in South Africa. On June 29, 1991, the United Cricket Cricket Board of South Africa was founded. Later, the organization changed its name to Cricket South Africa. Thabang Monroe serves as the organization's chief executive.
The domestic competitions in South Africa, including the Momentum One Day Cup, Sunfoil Series, and T20 Domestic Cup, are organized by Cricket South Africa. Cricket South Africa's T20 league is the recently launched Mzansi Super League.
Thabiso Enoch Nkwe, the team's director, is in charge of the support staff for the South African cricket squad. Additionally, it includes coaches and trainers who were hired by Cricket South Africa.
Like the other teams, the South African side wears flannel while playing Test cricket. For limited-overs cricket, it has a green jersey with yellow patches on the shirt and pants because yellow is its secondary color. On the left of the shirt is also the King Protea insignia, the logo for the South African Sports Commission. The right side of the shirt bears the emblem of the current sponsor, Standard Bank. On the left sleeve of the jersey is the emblem for the company that makes the uniforms, New Balance Athletics.
In all of South Africa's limited-overs matches, the shirt is light green for one-day internationals and yellow for T20 internationals, while the pants are still green. The jersey is altered during ICC Tournaments, and the tournament emblem is placed on the right side of the shirt. South Africa is emblazoned across the front of the shirt, and the sponsor's and kit manufacturer's logos are placed on the sleeves.
In an effort to raise awareness for breast cancer, the South African cricket team also plays in an all-pink uniform. Due to the fact that South Africa has never lost a game while wearing the pink jersey, they frequently utilize it as a good luck charm. This jersey was introduced in 2016.
The South African team, which was the third cricket-playing country, has participated in 1168 international games. South Africa has won 381 of the 619 One Day International matches that have been played so far, compared to 164 of the 434 Test matches that have been played. South Africa is regarded as a powerful squad, even in T20 cricket, with a winning rate of 66.17%.
The highest total score in test cricket history was scored by the South Africa test squad versus England on March 3, 1939, in Durban, where 1981 runs were scored. Additionally, South Africa is still the only international team to have forfeited an innings in a Test match. The match was fixed by the Proteas captain Hanse Cronje and a bookie who promised him a leather jacket and 50,000 rands in exchange for the task on January 14–18, 2000, in Centurion.
South Africa now holds the record for the most runs scored in a One Day International when batting second; this feat was accomplished against the Australian cricket team on March 12, 2006, in Johannesburg. Coincidentally, South Africa won the game by 1 wicket, their smallest victory margin by wickets. With a total score of 872 runs, this game also had the greatest overall score in ODIs.
The 1998 Champions Trophy, which was played in Bangladesh, was the only ICC Trophy that the South Africa Cricket team has so far won. The team bears the unfavorable nickname "Chokers" due to its poor performance in ICC events.
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