Sports · Cricket · 12 hrs ago
David Warner criticizes sparse crowds at South Africa-Australia Tests
David Warner criticized sparse crowds at the Test series between South Africa and Australia.
The first match in Durban drew just under 20,000 people across five days, less than a fifth of Kingsmead’s capacity.
South Africa lost that match by 214 runs, and rain affected attendance during the first two days of the second Test in Gqeberha.
The series features the world’s top-ranked Test teams, but Warner questioned whether Test cricket is thriving when so few fans attend.
The matches also mark Australia’s first Test tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal and South Africa’s first home series as world Test champions.
KwaZulu-Natal’s cricket union will review the low turnout and consider how to make live cricket more accessible and appealing.
The sources do not say when the review will be completed.
David Warner criticized sparse crowds at the ongoing Test series between South Africa and Australia, calling the turnout “pathetic.”
The opening Test at Kingsmead in Durban drew just under 20,000 spectators over five days, less than a fifth of the venue’s capacity.
South Africa lost that match by 214 runs.
Attendance remained low during the first two rain-affected days of the second Test in Gqeberha.
The KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union said it would conduct a thorough internal review into the low turnout.
- Who
- Former Australia opener David Warner criticized the crowds at the South Africa-Australia Test series.
- What
- Warner called the sparse turnout “pathetic” and questioned whether Test cricket was thriving.
- When
- During the ongoing series in October 2026; Warner posted his criticism on October 20.
- Where
- The Tests were being played in Durban and Gqeberha, South Africa.
- Why
- The grounds had drawn few spectators. The union said it would review the reasons for the low turnout.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
South Africa lost to Australia by 214 runs at Kingsmead in Durban, where just under 20,000 spectators attended across five days.
Rain affected play in Gqeberha as attendance remained low.
Warner criticized the sparse crowds in a post on X.
The KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union said it would hold a thorough internal review.
- Opening Test venue
- Kingsmead, Durban
- Opening Test attendance
- Just under 20,000 across five days
- Venue capacity comparison
- Attendance was less than a fifth of Kingsmead’s capacity
- Opening Test result
- South Africa lost by 214 runs
- Second Test venue
- Gqeberha
- Warner’s description
- Pathetic
4 sources
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David Warner takes swipe at ‘pathetic’ turnout for South Africa v Australia Test match
'Test Cricket Matters But...': David Warner Blasts 'Pathetic' Crowds For Australia-South Africa
‘Pathetic’: David Warner slams empty stands at South Africa vs Australia Tests
What people are saying
We keep hearing how important Test cricket is, but where are the fans in South Africa?
A Test match of this quality, featuring the Proteas and Australia, deserved greater support in the stands.
If you can’t drag a crowd in given that context, it’s a worrying sign.
What can we do to make sure that sitting in a stand on a hot day is very much a good experience for the people that have paid their money?
Posts on X
We keep hearing how important Test cricket is, but where are the fans in South Africa? Empty stands, no atmosphere, and we’re supposed to believe the format is thriving? You can’t keep calling Test cricket the pinnacle of the game if no one turns up to watch it. Harsh reality,