Cricket SA Board looking for lasting legacy in 2027 World Cup
26th September 2025
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Cricket South Africa board chairperson Pearl Maphoshe says the 2027 ICC World Cup is an opportunity to create a lasting legacy for not just South Africa, but for the continent as a whole.
Just like in the 2003 edition where the country hosted the event along with two other countries, this time Namibia replaced Kenya to play a supporting role along with Zimbabwe to South Africa as the main hosts of the tournament.
Maphoshe says they’re aiming high to set a new standard in World Cup events after that.
"One of the things that we want to do, we want to set a new benchmark for future ICC events. As you know, the legacy thing is quite important for us in South Africa and in the continent,” Maphoshe said.
“You would also remember that we are hosting this World Cup with both Zimbabwe, we have host venues there and Namibia. So, we want to create a lasting legacy for cricket in South Africa."
The board also wants the tournament to foster unity among the diverse cultures of the country, and be inclusive of people of all colours.
Maphose says they want to have infrastructure that will be beneficial to the development of the game long after the final ball is bowled.
"We also want to make sure that we unite all our diverse communities through this glorious game of ours. Basically, we want everyone to have a great experience during this World Cup,” she added.
“We want to create a legacy where we would have an infrastructure that will be built and improved for the World Cup but will remain behind for South Africa."
More recently South Africa hosted the 2023 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and Maphoshe explained that they will use some of the experience from that event to make the 2027 showpiece a success.
"Ensure that we create pathways for young players to grow the game in every community and work has already been started in this regard. Once you showcase our proven ability to host these big games, I mean this is not the first time Cricket South Africa is going to be hosting a game of this magnitude.
“We've hosted the women's T20 which was a great success in Cape Town not so long ago."
