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Proteas fast bowling legend Allan Donald says it is about time South Africa played more Test cricket, as the country prepares to host Australia, Bangladesh, and England in a massive home summer.
“I'm chuffed that we're seeing so many Test matches coming up. It's been unheard of recently for the Proteas to play as much Test cricket as the 'Big Three.' Having Australia, Bangladesh, and a massive tour from England is huge,” Donald told IOL at Cricket South Africa’s (CSA) domestic season launch in Johannesburg on Thursday.
While South Africa currently occupy a spot in the top two of the World Test Championship (WTC) standings—positioning them well for a final berth—they have played the fewest matches of any team in the current nine-nation cycle.
However, the Proteas have made those matches count, winning three of their four Tests to post an impressive 75% win rate. Australia lead the table, having won eight of their 10 Tests for an 80% win rate.
At the other end of the workload spectrum, seventh-placed England and eighth-placed West Indies have featured in the most matches, playing 14 and 12 Tests respectively.
The packed Test fixture list is only part of an extraordinary stretch for South Africa, who are also preparing to co-host the 50-over Cricket World Cup alongside Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“I can't wait for it—it's going to be a bumper summer for us, not to mention the small matter of the Cricket World Cup next year,” Donald added. “It's going to be one of the longest summers domestically and internationally, so I'm really looking forward to it.”
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