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Kevin Pietersen calls for free test match tickets amid poor crowds in South Africa
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen has called for free entry to Test matches at venues struggling to attract spectators, following poor attendance during the ongoing South Africa vs England Test series. The first Test in Durban saw fewer than 20,000 spectators across five days, accounting for less than a fifth of Kingsmead's capacity. The second Test at St George's Park in Gqeberha has also witnessed large sections of empty stands. Former Australia captain David Warner questioned the lack of spectators on Day 3 despite South Africa making a strong comeback.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), "Test cricket in places that struggle for crowds should be FREE to enter! Boards should make their money off their franchise tournaments. There is no way that Durban and PE have made enough money off ticket sales to justify no one there watching," Pietersen wrote.
In another post, the former England batter expressed his dislike for players wearing names and numbers on the backs of their jerseys in Test cricket. "Call me old fashioned but I don't like players' names and numbers on their back in Test cricket," he wrote. Following the poor turnout in Durban, the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union (KZNCU) announced that it would conduct a "thorough internal review" to identify the reasons behind the low attendance. Pietersen's comments have reignited the debate over how cricket boards can attract more spectators to Test matches and keep the longest format popular amid the growing appeal of franchise cricket.
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