The South African cricket team has been playing cricket for more than 130 years, and they now have a formidable position in the sphere of international cricket to put up a tough fight against opponents. The South African team is also called the Protease, its nickname derived from the national flower of South Africa, the King Protea. Their national cricket team flag also has the signature of King Protea. This team has produced many great players like AB de Villiers, Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis, Dale Steyn, Mark Boucher, and Gary Kirsten. The South African team has many great moments which show how much this team has achieved and how much they still have to achieve.
1. 1st Test Match
South Africa played their first test match against England on 12 March 1889. With this match, it became the first team from the African continent to enter this sport. This team has played 445 test matches since and won 169 of them. They are in the 5th position now.
2. 1st ODI Match
South Africa played their first ODI match against India on 10 November 1991. The first ODI match ever played was in the year 1971 between Australia and England. It took the South Africa team 20 years to enter in ODI's. The South African team has played 631 ODIs and won 387 of them.
3. 1st T20 Match
This team started playing T20 matches in 2005; they played their first T20 match against New Zealand. South Africa has played 139 T20 matches and has won 78 of them. Their best result in the T20 World Cup was playing in the Semi-finals in 2009 and 2014.
4. Returning From Ban
After debuting in cricket, South Africa continued playing for many years against big teams of that time like England and Australia. South Africa started growing in cricket, but due to the apartheid policy in South Africa, the ICC banned the team for many years. After the ban was lifted, the South African team returned and started playing cricket again in 1991.
5. Champion Trophy Moment
The biggest moment for the South African team came in 1998 when they won the Inaugural Championship Trophy 1998. South Africa lifted the cup by beating West Indies in the final by 4 wickets. This match was witnessed live by 40,000 spectators
6. Gold In Commonwealth Games
Cricket is not a part of the Olympics or Commonwealth Games, but it was in 1998 that cricket was included in the Commonwealth Games. Big teams like Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan participated in the Games. South Africa won the gold medal in the games by beating Australia.
7. South Africa Largest Win (Test match)
The South African team's biggest win in test matches came in 2017 against Bangladesh. The test match was played in South Africa, where the team won the match by an innings and 254 runs. This is the 17th largest win in test cricket.
8. South Africa Largest Win (ODI match)
South Africa's biggest victory in an ODI came in 2010 against Zimbabwe. The ODI was played in South Africa, where the team won the match by 272 runs. In this match, South Africa scored 400 runs which is also a moment of its own. This is the 3rd largest win in the history of ODIs.
9. South Africa Winning Percentage (ODI match)
The South African team has played 631 ODIs and won 387 of them. The winning percentage of the South Africa team is more than 60 percent. With a monumental win of 63.83 percent, this team holds the third position on the leaderboard after Australia and India.
10. Highest Run Chase In ODI
South Africa is one of the most successful teams in ODI and holds the record of the highest run chase. This happened in 2006 against the big team Australia when South Africa chased the score of 430+ runs. This is the only team to chase 400+ runs in an ODI ever.
