The New Year’s Test at Newlands CSA presents a catch-22 situation as Cricket SA initially allocated only 13% of tickets to the general public, leading to a swift sellout amid accusations of automated bots, while more tickets remain available for less popular venues.
While the outcry was swift and immediate, as the South African public was denied access to the majority of tickets when they went on sale on Monday for the New Year’s Test between the Proteas and England in Cape Town, Cricket SA (CSA) finds itself in a tricky situation.
It emerged that CSA allocated 13% of tickets to the general public for the Test match scheduled for Newlands between January 3 and 7.
This was while 39% of tickets were sold to international and domestic travel packages.
It resulted in tickets being sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale. IOL Sport reported that industry insiders suggest the platform may have been flooded by automated ticket-sweeping bots — leaving genuine supporters completely empty-handed.
