Former South Africa Captain Faf du Plessis has questioned Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) decision to stage the opening Test against Australia at Kingsmead in Durban, arguing that the venue selection undermined the Proteas’ home advantage and failed to deliver the crowd atmosphere expected for one of international cricket’s biggest rivalries.
His criticism follows Australia’s emphatic 214-run victory in the first Test, which gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the three-match series and extended their winning streak against South Africa at Kingsmead to four matches.
The result has placed CSA‘s scheduling decisions under scrutiny, with du Plessis raising two concerns: Australia’s established success in Durban and the limited spectator turnout for a series marking the visitors’ return to South Africa for the first time since 2018.
Du Plessis questions CSA’s choice of Kingsmead
Australia entered the series with a strong record at Kingsmead, having previously beaten South Africa at the venue in 2006, 2009 and 2018.
The latest victory continued that sequence, prompting du Plessis to question why CSA selected Durban to host the opening match rather than beginning the series at a ground where South Africa might have a more favourable record.
Speaking to Cricinfo, du Plessis said: “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.”
Although South Africa’s home venues offer different historical records against Australia, the figures present a more complicated picture than a straightforward comparison of grounds.
Australia have won 10 of their 14 Tests against South Africa in Cape Town, while Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth, is the only South African venue where the Proteas have recorded more Test victories against Australia than defeats.
At St George’s Park, South Africa have won four of seven Tests against Australia, with the visitors winning the other three.
Low attendance raises questions over Test cricket’s appeal
Beyond the competitive implications, du Plessis criticised the lack of spectators at Kingsmead during a high-profile series that had attracted considerable attention before the opening match.
The former Captain believes an encounter of this significance should provide a stronger atmosphere, particularly with Australia returning for their first Test tour of South Africa since 2018.
Du Plessis added: “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’.”
His concerns bring the spectator experience into the discussion around international venue allocation, alongside the traditional considerations of pitch conditions and home-team performance.
For CSA, the criticism highlights the challenge of selecting venues that can both support the national team’s competitive interests and attract strong audiences for major international fixtures.
Renshaw and Hazlewood deliver Australia’s Durban victory
Australia’s commanding victory was built around major contributions from Matt Renshaw and Josh Hazlewood.
Renshaw scored 190 in Australia’s first innings before adding 82 in the second, providing the batting foundation for the visitors’ success.
Hazlewood then claimed six wickets in South Africa’s final innings, completing a 214-run victory that left the Proteas trailing in the series.
The defeat continued South Africa’s difficulties against Australia at Kingsmead and increased the importance of the remaining two Tests.
South Africa look to respond in Gqeberha
The second Test will take place at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, where South Africa’s historical results against Australia offer a more favourable record than at other home venues.
The series will then conclude in Cape Town, with the Proteas needing to recover from their opening defeat to challenge for the series.
For CSA, however, the debate extends beyond the result in Durban. Du Plessis’s criticism has placed both venue strategy and spectator attendance under examination, raising questions about how South Africa stages its highest-profile international cricket fixtures.
