South African cricket is experiencing a golden era, with the men's and women's Proteas teams achieving simultaneous high levels of success unseen before. The men's side has won the World Test Championship and secured a historic series victory in India, while the women have reached finals in every major tournament since 2023. This turnaround follows years of administrative and on-field challenges.
South African cricket has entered what many describe as its most successful period, with both the men's and women's national teams performing at peak levels together for the first time. In late 2022, the Proteas men suffered a shocking 13-run defeat to the Netherlands in the T20 World Cup in Australia, exiting in the group stage amid ongoing issues highlighted by the 2020 Fundudzi report on Cricket South Africa (CSA) mismanagement.
Three years on, the landscape has transformed. Under CEO Pholetsi Moseki, appointed interim in 2020 and permanent thereafter, CSA has stabilized finances despite a non-cricketing background for the chartered accountant. Key measures include limiting home Test series to two matches to cut costs and prioritizing lucrative white-ball games against India. This summer marks the first post-isolation season without home Tests, allowing stadium upgrades at venues like Newlands and Kingsmead, while the team tours India.
The men's achievements include winning the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at Lord's in June, their first since holding the mace in 2009, 2012, and 2014. They also reached the T20 World Cup final last year in the Caribbean and US, semifinaled the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, and clinched a 2-0 Test series win in India—the first in 25 years. After sacrificing a New Zealand tour for the SA20 league, they won seven of eight subsequent Tests.
The Proteas women have matched this momentum, reaching finals in the 2023 T20 World Cup in South Africa (runners-up to Australia), 2024 T20 event in the UAE (lost to New Zealand), and 2025 Cricket World Cup in India (fell to hosts). Despite retirements of key players like Shabnim Ismail and Lizelle Lee—Dane van Niekerk has returned—the team persists under coaches Hilton Moreeng, Dillon du Preez, and Mandla Mashimbyi. For the men, Rob Walter handles white-ball cricket, Shukri Conrad leads Tests, with Enoch Nkwe as director of national teams.
While no white-ball trophy has been won yet, both sides eye the 2027 men's World Cup in South Africa to cement this era.