Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis has questioned Cricket South Africa’s decision to host the opening Test against Australia in Durban, arguing that the venue’s history against the visitors and its poor crowd turnout should have prompted the governing body to reconsider its choice. His criticism comes after Australia secured a commanding 214-run victory at Kingsmead to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match Test series.
Australia’s win continued their impressive record at the Durban venue, where they had also beaten South Africa in 2006, 2009 and 2018. The latest defeat has added weight to Faf’s concerns about the scheduling of the series, with the former skipper questioning why South Africa would begin such a high-profile contest at a ground where Australia have enjoyed considerable success.
“For me, there’s a big question mark that I’d like to put to the decision-makers at Cricket South Africa. When you have such a poor record at Kingsmead in Durban, while Australia have an excellent record there — I think they’ve won their last four consecutive Test matches against us at the venue — why would you start the series there? You’re effectively telling the opposition, ‘Let’s start at a venue where you’re most comfortable.’
“If you compare Durban with other venues in South Africa, such as Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria and Wanderers, South Africa and the Proteas have a much better record at those grounds. So that’s my first question,” Faf told Cricinfo.
DURBAN’S CROWD CONCERN
Faf also questioned Durban’s ability to draw spectators for a marquee Test series, arguing that the atmosphere at the venue did not match the anticipation surrounding Australia’s return to South Africa.
“Secondly, from a crowd perspective, Durban also has the lowest viewership numbers among South African grounds. There’s all this hype and talk ahead of the first Test between South Africa and Australia, an iconic series, with Australia returning for the first time since 2018. Yet, there’s no crowd. You look at the television and think, ‘That’s not good, man. I don’t want to see that. I want to see a packed stadium watching this big series’,” Faf added.
His comments highlight a broader challenge for Test cricket: ensuring that major international contests attract healthy crowds and deliver the atmosphere their stature deserves. With Australia arriving as one of the strongest touring sides, the choice of venue has become an additional talking point following South Africa’s heavy defeat.
PROTEAS IN FOR TOUGH CHALLENGE
The scheduling debate is particularly interesting given the historical head-to-head records at the other venues. Australia have won 10 of the 14 Tests played against South Africa in Cape Town, while the Proteas have enjoyed greater success in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. South Africa have won four of the seven Tests against Australia at St George’s Park, compared with Australia’s three victories.
The second Test of the series is scheduled to take place in Gqeberha, followed by the third in Cape Town. South Africa will need to respond strongly in the remaining matches after their batting struggled to withstand Australia’s attack in Durban. Gqeberha is the only venue in South Africa where the Proteas have won more Tests against Australia than they have lost.
Australia’s first-Test victory was built on Matt Renshaw’s outstanding contributions with the bat and Josh Hazlewood’s decisive bowling performance. Renshaw scored 190 in the first innings and followed it with 82 in the second, while Hazlewood claimed six wickets in South Africa’s final innings to seal the 214-run win.
– Ends
