History of Cricket's 'Pink Day'

Few events have established themselves as ‘iconic’ in a national sports and social calendar as quickly as cricket’s Pink Day at the Wanderers has in South Africa. Having first been played just over a decade ago in 2013 it is already a bucket-list event to rival golf’s Million Dollar Challenge at Sun City and the Met and Durban July in horse-racing – among others!

It helps that the Proteas won the first six ODIs in which they wore pink and produced some of the more remarkable performances on modern times starting with centuries from Hashim Amla (122 off 113 balls) and AB de Villiers (128 off 108) which were rounded off by a 19-ball 45 from Faf du Plessis in a total of 345-3 against Pakistan.

The following year, against India, it was Quinton de Kock’s turn for a century at better than a run-a-ball (135 off 121) with de Villiers adding 77 from 47 balls in a total of 358-4 – but that was nothing compared to the following against the West Indies.

A world record opening stand of 247 between Amla (153*) and Rilee Rossouw (128) was just the beginning. De Villiers walked to the crease with just 12 overs remaining, more than enough time to post not just the fastest century (31 balls) but to finish with an astonishing 149 from 44 balls including 16 sixes in an eye-watering total of 439-2.

A century from Joe Root in a total of 262 looked sufficient to end the winning streak in 2016 with SA needing 56 with just two wickets remaining but Chris Morris blasted 62-from just 38 balls to earn a nail-biting 1-wicket victory after fine bowling from Kagiso Rabada (4-45) and Imran Tahir (3-46).

But Pink Day, of course, is emphatically not all about the cricket. The seed for a South African Breast Cancer Awareness day was first sown on the third day of the New Year’s test match in Sydney when the SCG was turned pink for the first Jane McGrath Day to commemorate the great fast bowler’s wife who died from the disease.

Three years later the third day of South Africa’s test against Australia at the Wanderers was declared as ‘Pink Day’ in Association with the McGrath Foundation to raise both awareness of the disease and money to fight it with increased testing and screening. It is estimated that over 19.5 million women and girls over the age of 15 live with the risk of being diagnosed, the most prevalent cancer among women.

In 2013 the first Pink ODI was staged at the Wanderers and the event is now ranked among the most popular of sporting events alongside the 50-year-old Pirates/Chiefs Soweto Derby and even Springboks/All Blacks test matches which started over a century ago.

The Breast Care Unit at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg has been the major beneficiary of the almost R10million which has been raised so far. ‘Early Detection Saves Lives’ is the motto by which the Unit operates and, as enjoyable as the cricket and the occasion has been, and will be in the future, that is more important than the match result. At least for one day a year.

Pink Day Results:

March 2013 – Won by 34 runs v Pakistan

December 2013 – Won by 141 runs v India

January 2015 – Won by 148 run v West Indies

February 2016 – Won by 1-wicket v England

February 2017 – Won by 7-wickets v Sri Lanka

February 2018 – Won by 5-wickets (DLS) v India

January 2019 – Lost by 8-wickets v Pakistan

February 2020 – Lost by 2-wickets v England.

April 2021 – Won by 17 runs v Pakistan

March 2022 – Won by 7-wickets v Bangladesh

April 2023 – Won by 146-runs v Netherlands