Cricket in South Africa

rdf:langString Cricket in South Africa

rdf:langString Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town

rdf:langString South Africa

rdf:langString The Proteas

rdf:langString cricket

rdf:langString Cricket is one of the most popular sports in South Africa. Traditionally played by English-speaking whites and the Indian community, the sport is now listed in the top two most popular among all race groups. Since the end of apartheid, a higher proportion of white players have come from Afrikaans-speaking backgrounds, and the sport has grown substantially among the Coloured and black African populations. Like other Commonwealth cricket playing nations, the sport was first introduced in South Africa by the British in the early 19th Century, with the sport becoming firmly established by the 1880s. Governed by Cricket South Africa, both the professional and amateur game possess a high standard of domestic cricket, with the season running from October to March each year. South Africa is one of the world's leading cricket-playing nations and is one of the 12 countries sanctioned by the International Cricket Council to play Test Cricket. In 2012, South Africa became the first team to top the ICC rankings in all three formats of the game. In 2003, the country hosted the Cricket World Cup, and in 2007, the inaugural World Twenty20. Along with Namibia and Zimbabwe, South Africa will jointly host the upcoming .

rdf:langString South Africa