Today in History: South Africa was readmitted to international cricket
One of the biggest decisions made by the ICC was to readmit South Africa to the international cricket scene in 1991.
After 21 years of exclusion from international cricket due to its Apartheid policies, the Republic of South Africa was finally readmitted to the international cricket stage by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1991.
ICC agreed to grant full membership to the United Cricket Board of South Africa (referred to as the UCB), which would allow South African players to participate in test matches by the end of 1991. South Africa had ceased to be a member of the ICC after leaving the British Commonwealth in May 1961.
The country was suspended from all cricket activities in 1970, but was re-instated as a member after the formation of a new body, the UCB, to oversee the administration of all cricket activities. In contrast with past practice, this body was inclusive of all cricket players in South Africa, regardless of race.
The South African national team, which would become known as the Proteas, played its first sanctioned international match since 1970 (and its first ever One-Day International (ODI)) against India in Calcutta on 10 November, 1991, losing by only three wickets. They earned their first ODI match victory over India in the third and final match of that series.
South Africa’s first test match after readmission was played against the West Indies in April 1992. The match was played in Bridgetown, Barbados and South Africa lost by 52 runs.
In 2002, Cricket South Africa (CSA) was founded, and would run parallel to UCB’s operations for six years before the two national cricket organisations merged to form the modern-day CSA in 2008.
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