'Empty stands' - David Warner questions poor spectator turnout during South Africa-Australia Test series
David Warner (Source: Getty Images)
Published - 20 Oct 2026, 02:47 PM• Read time - 2 mins
Former Australia opener David Warner has questioned the sustainability of Test cricket, citing the poor spectator turnout during the ongoing Test series between South Africa and Australia.
While the second Test at St George's Park in Gqeberha has seen limited action because of inclement weather, the series opener at Kingsmead in Durban attracted fewer than 20,000 spectators despite lasting the full five days. The low attendance prompted the KwaZulu-Natal Cricket Union (KZNCU) to launch an internal review.
Warner took to X to highlight the lack of crowd support during the series, arguing that Test cricket cannot continue to be labelled the "pinnacle of the game" if fans are not turning up to watch.
"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, but someone has to say it. Pathetic," Warner posted 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, but someone has to say it. Pathetic
— David Warner (@davidwarner31) October 20, 2026
Meanwhile, Australia have made a commanding start to the series. The visitors won the Durban Test by 214 runs, comprehensively outplaying the hosts. They are also in a strong position in the ongoing second Test. At the time of writing, South Africa were 216 for six at lunch on Day 3.
Notably, this is Australia's first-ever tour of South Africa following the infamous Sandpapergate in 2018. The controversy had raised question marks about the integrity of the Australian men's cricket team.
South Africa are the reigning World Test Championship holders and currently sit third in the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 standings. Australia, meanwhile, lead the table with a points percentage (PCT) of 81.82.
The third and final Test of the series will be held at the iconic Newlands in Cape Town from October 27 onwards.