The KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union (KZNCU) are set to conduct a ‘thorough internal review’ into poor attendance during the first Test between South Africa and Australia at the Kingsmead Stadium in Durban.
A total of just under 20,000 fans attended the game across the five days. This was South Africa’s first home Test since January 2025. KZNCU chief executive Heinrich Strydom addressed the situation, stating the need for the sport to attract more audiences and the work to be undertaken on that aspect.
“A Test match of this quality, featuring the Proteas and Australia, deserved greater support in the stands. While we recognise that supporters face competing demands on their time and finances, we must also understand better what influences their decisions to attend and what more we can do to make live cricket an attractive and worthwhile experience,” Strydom said in an official statement, as quoted by Cricinfo.
Strydom also said the union intends to listen to supporters, reconnect with communities, and continue to find ways to make Test cricket more accessible, engaging and appealing to families and cricket lovers of all ages. Both the quality of cricket played and the standard of the Kingsmead pitch were praised in the statement, with South Africa head coach Shukri Conrad separately commending groundsman Wonderboy Khanyile on the surface prepared for the match.
Why did so few fans attend the Durban Test?
Several factors appear to have kept supporters away from Kingsmead. The Durban central business district, situated roughly a kilometre from the ground, experienced anti-immigration protests that prompted a security lockdown throughout much of the match. A heavy police presence was deployed in the city from the early stages of the game, and by the time the Test concluded, the South African National Defence Force had also been called in. Inside the stadium, there was almost no visible sign of the unrest.
The cost of living in South Africa was another factor raised by those close to the game. Petrol reached a record high of R29.38, equivalent to approximately US$1.78 per litre, on October 7, two days before the Test was scheduled to begin. Test captain Temba Bavuma, responding in isiXhosa during the post-match press conference, acknowledged that the financial burden on supporters may have contributed to the low turnout. Strydom also recognised those pressures while signalling that the union intends to understand what more can be done to attract fans through the gates.
Low attendance at Kingsmead Tests is not a new concern. The Boxing Day Test was relocated from the venue to SuperSport Park in Centurion partly because of persistently modest crowds. Earlier this season, the opening ODI of the Australia series, played on September 24, a public holiday, drew just over 12,000 spectators. School and university students were in their final examination period at the time, which may have reduced turnout further.
What happens next for South Africa’s home Test series?
Attention now turns to the second Test, which begins on Sunday in Gqeberha. Rain is forecast on the one weekend day of play and on the day that follows, which could affect both the match and crowd numbers. The third Test at Newlands in Cape Town begins on a Tuesday and is scheduled to run through to a Saturday, a scheduling pattern that may also limit attendance on weekday days.
This is the first time South Africa has hosted Tests as early as October in a home summer. The traditional prime Test window runs from November through to March, but the SA20 league occupies most of January and February, and the IPL begins in March, pushing Test fixtures into the earlier shoulder months of the calendar.
