CSA 4-Day Domestic Series

The CSA 4-Day Domestic Series is the domestic first class cricket competition of South Africa. The tournament is contested by teams from all nine provinces of South Africa.

First contested as the Currie Cup from 1889–90, the tournament has undergone many changes and modifications in its history. In 2004, the traditional province-based format was replaced, with many teams amalgamating. In its place, six entirely professional franchises were created that represented much larger population areas.

The competition underwent significant restructuring once again before the start of the 2021–22 season. The six-team franchise system was disbanded, and the tournament returned to its more traditional format. Fifteen province-based teams now compete across two divisions, determined by promotion and relegation.

Like many other Commonwealth nations, cricket was first introduced by the British in the early 19th Century, with the sport becoming firmly established in South Africa by the 1880s. In March 1889, a touring English side played a South African XI in two matches, in what would retrospectively be designated as the first Test played in South Africa.

First-class domestic cricket had slowly been developing since 1876, when local settlements and towns played each other in the Cape as part of the Champion Bat Tournament. The tournament was played on five occasions, with its final edition in 1890–91.

Sir Donald Currie, the founder of the Castle Shipping Line and the sponsor of the 1889 English tour, donated a trophy for the champions of the promising domestic competition. The 'Currie Cup' was first awarded to Kimberley, who had beaten Transvaal in the single match competition of 1889–90. From 1892 to 1893, the competition began to take the familiar form of province-based competition in a champion format, inspired by the English County Cricket structure. Kimberley (who became known as Griqualand West for the 1892–93 season) and Transvaal were joined by Western Province (1892–93), Natal, Eastern Province (both 1893–94), Border (1897–98) and Orange Free State (1903–04) — although not all of these teams competed in every season after they were established. Rhodesia and South Western Districts also competed on a once-off basis in the 1904–05 season.

The Currie Cup was not contested every year, and a total of fourteen seasons were contested between its inception and the First World War. Aside from an interruption during the Boer War, typically seasons were not held when the English team were touring. The competition took on several different formats, including a knock-out structure, and a round-robin followed by a challenge final against the previous year's winner; but in 1906–07, a round-robin league format was established, which would be unchanged until 1982–83.

First class cricket recommenced after the First World War in the 1920–21 season. The series continued to be held roughly two out of every three years, being cancelled during seasons which coincided with Test tours. After the 1925–26, all seven provincial teams featured in every season. They were joined temporarily by Rhodesia (who contested the consecutive 1929–30 and 1931–32 season), and permanently by North Eastern Transvaal in 1937–38, which was the final season before World War II. In all, eleven seasons were played between the wars. During this time, cricket in South Africa began to spread outside the British settler diaspora, particularly in the Afrikaner and Indian community. However, cricket remained strictly, although not yet legally, segregated with various national bodies governing cricket for the different racial groups. First-class domestic continued to be white-only.