England Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline

The rivalry between the two teams began in 1888-1889. Back then, cricket was establishing itself as an international sport, and the first match between these two teams marked the start of cricket's most respected rivalries.

The passion of the gameplay between England and South Africa was right from the beginning. Over the years, England and South Africa have battled fiercely, sharing many heartbreak and historical victories. Their matches have reflected not just sporting excellence but also the changing times, from the colonial influence to modern-day professionalism. “England Cricket Team vs South Africa National Cricket Team Timeline” shows the rivalry built on mutual respect, tough competitions, and an enduring love for the game of Cricket between the fans of both teams.

1889-1910: Early Encounters:

1. 1888-1889 England v South Africa- England and South Africa met for the first time at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, on 12th March 1889. England won the match by 8 wickets. Welcomed to bat first, after losing the toss, South Africa scored 84 & 129, whereas England scored 148 & 67/2 to win the game.
2. In the 1905-1906 test series, South Africa won 4-1, showing huge dominance over the England Team. England won only one match by 4 wickets in that test series.
3. 1907 England v South Africa 2nd Test Match- 29th July, 1907, the match was held at Headingley, Leeds. England won the toss and were welcomed to bat first. England scored 76 & 162, while South Africa gave a tough fight to their opponent and scored 110 & 75.
4. 1909-1910 England v South Africa 2nd Test Match- In the 1909-1910 match, South Africa made a smashing comeback, securing a huge win over England, winning by 95 runs. The match was held at Lord's (SA), Durban on 21st January, 1910.
5. In the 1909-1910 test series, the scores of both teams were 3-2. South Africa won 3 matches, while England won only 2 matches in 1909-1910.

1911-1930: Heated Rivalry Begins:

1. In the 1913-1914 England vs South Africa test series, England once again showed their dominance over South Africa by winning 4-0, with 1 match drawn. England visited South Africa for the test matches in the year 1913-1914, when World War 1 was going on. John Douglas (the captain of the England team) scored runs, earned wickets, and dominated the series.
2. 1922-1923 South Africa v England Test Series - The 2nd test match of the series was held at Newlands, Cape Town on 1st January 1923. In this match, England is dominant over South Africa, winning by 1 wicket. South Africa won the toss and were welcomed to bat first. England scored 183 & 173/9, while South Africa gave a tough fight to their opponent and scored 113 & 242 runs.
3. In the 1924 Test Series, England won 3-0, whereas 2 matches were drawn in the series. Jack Hobbs, a great batsman of the England team, scored a double century (211 runs), showing his phenomenal performance. Whereas Maurice Tate took 9 wickets for 86 runs in the third match of the series.
4. Later, in the 1927–28 an interesting five-match Test series was played between these two teams, with South Africa winning the last two matches and England winning the first two. There was a draw in the third game. The series received praise for being memorable and well-balanced.

1931 to 1950: Test Series Summary

1. In the 1930-31 South Africa vs England test series, South Africa won the 1st test match by 28 runs. The remaining 4 matches ended with a draw. Wally Hammond and Bruce Mitchell displayed exceptional batting prowess, whereas William Voce(Bill Voce) and Eiulf Nupen(Buster Nupen) produced stunning bowling figures.
2. South Africa again took the trophy home in the 1935 England vs South Africa Test series by 1-0, showcasing their growing competence. It was their first victory in Tests in England. The Proteas won the second match in the series by 157 runs, and 4 matches were declared drawn. Bruce Mitchell again anchored the South African innings, he smashed 164 runs in the second innings against England at Lord’s.
3. The 1938-39 England vs South Africa Test earned the name ‘The Timeless Test’, as it was the longest Test cricket match ever played, lasting for 9 days with 680 overs bowled.
4. While the Second World War was going on, South Africa returned to English soil with the 1947 England vs South Africa Test series. The first and last matches finished in a draw, but England won three of the five games. In the third Test match, Bill Edrich scored 191 runs in the first innings against South Africa, highlighting his brilliance.
5. England won the 1948-49 England vs South Africa Test series 2-0. In the first match of the series, England won by 2 wickets, and in the last match by 3 wickets. England's successful team tactics and outstanding individual performances were key components of their series victory.

1950s to 1970s: Beginning of Modern Tussle

1. In the 1951 England vs South Africa test series, South Africa won the 1st test match by 71 runs. England won 3 matches out of 5, setting the score at 3-1 with 1 match drawn. England's bowlers dominated the series, while the South African team batters found it difficult to form a consistent partnership in the matches.
2. In the 1955 England vs South Africa test series, England won 3 test matches, while South Africa won only 2 test matches. After a long time, South Africa gave tough competition to England. Roy McLean, Derrick(Jackie) McGlew, John Waite, Paul Winslow, Russell Endean, Peter May, Hugh Tayfield, and Trevor Goddard were key performers of South Africa. On the other hand, Denis Compton, Peter May, John Wardle, Brian Statham, and John Wardle were top players from England’s team, showing their exceptional performance in the series.
3. In the 1956-1957 England vs South Africa test series, both teams played a balanced game by winning 2-2 matches each. England won the first 2 matches of the series, while South Africa won the last two matches. The third test match is a tie between the two teams.
4. In the 1960 England vs South Africa Test series, England ruled again through its consistent batting and strategic bowling techniques by winning 3 matches. With Peter Richardson as its opening batsman, they anchored many matches and laid the foundation for success. The last 2 matches of the series finished with a tie between the teams. South Africa struggled with its consistency in the team against the seasoned players of England in the year 1960.
5. In the second match of the 1965 England vs South Africa Test series, South Africa won by 104 runs, and England was all out at 224 runs.

1990s to 2012: South Africa’s Resurgence

1. 1992 Benson & Hedges World Cup- After South Africa re-entered International cricket, both teams played their first ODI match in the Melbourne Cricket Ground. England won by 3 wickets through the D/L method. Alec Stewart led the run chase with 77 runs, closely followed by Neil Fairbrother’s unbeaten 75. In the second semi-final of the World Cup, England again won by 19 runs using the D/L method.
2. 1994 England v South Africa- In the 1st test match of the 1994 series, South Africa won the match by 356 runs. England was all out in the first innings for 180 runs. It was the first test series of South Africa, where the team was invited to play the game in England.
3. The 1995-96 South Africa vs England match marked the first victory of South Africa in an ODI match against England, as they won by 6 runs. Shaun Pollock was awarded Player of the Match for taking 4 crucial wickets and hitting 66*.
4. The 1999-2000 Test and ODI series between South Africa and England showcased South Africa’s growing dominance over England. The Proteas won the ODI series 3-1 and the test series 2-1.
5. In the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 at Newlands, South Africa played its first T20 International against England. South Africa won the match by 19 runs. Albie Morkel played a match-winning knock against England, scoring 43 off 20 balls, leading his team to victory. Morkel also took crucial wickets, dismissing Matt Prior and Owais Shah.
6. In a high-scoring thriller, South Africa levelled the series with a decisive 84-run victory in the second match of the 2009–10 England vs South Africa series, which was played at Centurion on November 15, 2009. The partnership of Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman led their team to victory by scoring 182 runs together, setting a world record for opening stands in T20 internationals at the time.
7. In the 2010-11 ICC World Cup match held in Chennai, England posted a total of 171 runs, but South Africa was bowled out at 165 runs in their chase, leading England to win by 6 runs. Stuart Broad's four wickets were crucial for England's triumph.
8. In the 2012-2013 England vs South Africa test series, South Africa won the test series by a huge margin of 2-0 with 1 match being drawn to show their huge dominance of England. South Africa won the 1st test match by an innings and 12 runs, and in the 3rd test match, South Africa won by 51 runs.
9. In the 2012 T20I series of England vs South Africa, both teams were evenly matched in their play. Out of the 3 T20I matches, South Africa won the 1st T20I match by 7 wickets, whereas England won the 3rd T20I match by 28 runs; the 2nd match finished as a draw, Jacques Kallis (48 runs), Jean-Paul Duminy (47 runs) were the outstanding performers for the South African team. Dale Steyn, a bowler of great repute from South Africa, won the Man of the Match title for his exceptional performance, while the England team's Man of the Match was Jos Buttler, who scored 32 runs off 10 balls and made a great impact on the match.

2013 to the Recent Matches:

1. South Africa triumphed 2-1 in the T20I series (2015-16 South Africa vs England) with Imran Tahir's bowling, and he was the Player of the Match in the 1st Match at Newlands. In the second game, Joe Root chased down a target of 83 runs to level the series for England. In the third match, with runs of 71 (AB de Villiers), 69* from Hashim Amla, and 22* from Faf du Plessis, South Africa was able to snatch the series away from England.
2. England faced South Africa in the 2019 ICC World Cup match. England won the match by 104 runs. England set a target of 311/8 to South Africa, but South Africa could only get 207 runs in the innings. Ben Stokes scored 89 runs and had 2 wickets for 12 runs, which was a well-rounded performance for England. Jofra Archer was also important with 3 wickets for 27 runs. ​
3. The 2022 series England v South Africa took place in England, where, once again, England had home superiority over the visitors. South Africa won the first match, but thereafter, England won both the remaining matches. In the first innings, England scored 165, and South Africa replied with 326. South Africa had also dismissed the English players cheaply in the second innings to dismiss the home team for 149 runs and win the match. The second match contained a new side for England, where Ben Stokes scored 103 and Ben Foakes reached an unbeaten score of 113, and won the match for the visitors.
4. At the National Stadium in Karachi, South Africa comfortably chased down 179/3 in their 31.4 overs with the loss of just seven wickets against England in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. England batted first and were duly dismissed from the field for 179 runs in 38.2 overs. Rassie van der Dussen was the player of the match, scoring an unbeaten 72 runs to allow the Proteas to secure their victory. South Africa's victory was crucial in qualifying for the semifinals of the Champions Trophy. Following the defeat for England, their captain Jos Buttler announced his retirement, having officially played his final match for England after recently securing his third consecutive defeat in the group stage series.

The competition between England vs South Africa from 1889 to 2025; full of memorable moments, thrilling and spectacular performances, and fierce contests. Both teams have produced absolutely exciting moments of brilliance, moments of heartbreak, and moments where there has been some fierce competition. There is excitement as we think about the future of both teams. The matches between South Africa and England will improve, as new young talent emerges, and experienced players continue to raise the bar. For supporters of both teams, there is much to look forward to in the continuance of thrilling matches, exciting finishes, and amazing performances. The experience of the rivalry based on passion, respect, and love for cricket will have a shift in atmosphere when the game evolves to the level between the two teams.

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