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A day after former Australia batsman David Warner’s lament about the lack of crowds for the team’s second Test against South Africa in Gqeberha, former England captain Kevin Pietersen has said that stadiums should make entry free for long-form cricket when the crowds are not coming. Largely empty stands have been a feature during the ongoing Test series despite the thrilling nature of the matches themselves.
Pietersen said that boards should be looking to make money off T20 franchise tournaments. “Test Cricket in places that struggle for crowds should make it FREE to enter! Boards should make their money off their franchise tournaments. There is no way that Durban (venue of the first Test) and PE (Gqeberha) have made enough money off ticket sales to justify no one there watching,” said Pietersen in a post on his X account.
Test Cricket in places that struggle for crowds should make it 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.— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) October 21, 2026
Pietersen also said in an earlier post that it only seems to be in England where Test matches seem to be having full houses and that he doesn’t like players’ names and numbers on the back of their shirts in the longest format. “It’s only really in England where Test Cricket sees full houses, right? Maybe Aus on Boxing Day and NY Test, but England tops the list for attendances, right?” said Pietersen.
Call me old fashioned but I don’t like players names and numbers on their back in Test Cricket
— Kevin Pietersen?? (@KP24) October 21, 2026
It’s only really in England where Test Cricket sees full houses, right?
Maybe Aus on Boxing Day and NY Test, but England tops the list for attendances, right?— Kevin Pietersen?? (@KP24) October 21, 2026
Australia had won the first Test despite suffering an early collapse in the first innings. Similarly, South Africa have turned it around remarkably in the second Test, going from being 110/6 at the start of Day 3 after a largely washed out first day to declaring on 425/9 thanks to captain Temba Bavuma’s 179 and a couple of half-centuries from Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer. Jansen then struck with the ball on Day 4, taking five wickets and reducing Australia to their last three wickets with just 84 runs on the board.
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