South Africa’s WTC triumph couldn’t fill Kingsmead as KZNCU launches review into poor attendance in Durban Test vs Australia

South Africa's WTC triumph couldn't fill Kingsmead as KZNCU launches review into poor attendance in Durban Test vs Australia originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Kingsmead can hold 20,000 fans a day, so the total crowd over the match was less than a fifth of what the ground could have fitted across the Test.

Anti-immigration protests in the Durban city centre, record petrol prices and the cost of living are among the reasons given for the low turnout.

Kingsmead's empty seats prompt a review after South Africa's first home Test as world champions

South Africa came home to play their first Test on home soil since lifting the World Test Championship. It was also their first home Test since January 2025. A match against Australia should have been a celebration for the Proteas, with supporters filling the stands to see their champions in action.

That did not happen in Durban. A total of just under 20,000 fans came through the gates during the match. Kingsmead holds 20,000 a day, which means the crowd across the whole Test was less than a fifth of what the ground could have seated. It works out at fewer than 4,000 fans a day over five days.

The KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union has now responded. According to Cricinfo reporter Firdose Moonda, KZNCU will conduct a "thorough internal review" to determine why so few people came. The Test ended on Tuesday with Australia winning by 214 runs, after Josh Hazlewood took 6/49 in the second innings and eight wickets in the match.

Why fans stayed away from the Durban Test

The union's chief executive, Heinrich Strydom, was clear about his view of the attendance. He said in a statement, "A Test match of this quality, featuring the Proteas and Australia, deserved greater support in the stands."

Strydom also noted that the quality of cricket and the standard of the pitch were exceptional. South Africa's head coach, Shukri Conrad, praised groundsman Wonderboy Khanyile for the surface.

Several outside factors may have kept fans away. The Durban city centre, about a kilometre from Kingsmead, was locked down for much of the Test because of anti-immigration protests. There was a heavy police presence at first, and by the end of the match the South African National Defence Force had been deployed. At the ground itself, there was almost no sign of the unrest.

The cost of living was another factor. Petrol hit a record high of R29.38 (US$1.78) a litre on October 7, two days before the Test began. Test captain Temba Bavuma acknowledged in the post-match press conference, in an isiXhosa answer, that the high cost of living may have kept people away.

Strydom accepted that point but wants to know more. He said, "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."

He added a promise to act on what the review finds. Strydom said, "This is something we will reflect on as a Union, through a thorough internal review, and as a cricket community. We need to listen to our supporters, reconnect with our communities, and continue to find ways to make Test cricket more accessible, engaging and appealing to families and cricket lovers of all ages."

What the Kingsmead crowd means for South Africa's home summer

Durban's problem with Test crowds is not new. The Boxing Day Test has already been moved from Kingsmead to SuperSport Park in Centurion because of low attendance in recent years.

This season, the opening ODI against Australia on September 24 drew just over 12,000 people, even though it was played on a public holiday. School and university students were also close to their final examination period.

The rest of the series faces its own risks. The second Test starts in Gqeberha on Sunday, with only one weekend day of play. Rain is forecast for that day and the following one. The third Test at Newlands in Cape Town starts on a Tuesday and is due to end on a Saturday, which again leaves only one weekend day.

The calendar adds to the problem. This is the first time South Africa are hosting Tests as early as October. The SA20 takes up most of January and February, and the IPL begins in March. That squeezes the biggest fixtures into the shoulder windows, even though November to March is traditionally the prime Test period.

The review will not solve the cost-of-living crisis or the calendar. It can, though, tell the union which fans it lost and why. With two more Tests to come and Australia leading the three-match series 1-0, crowds in Gqeberha and Cape Town will show how much work is left.

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