The Proteas are on the brink of winning their first home Test series in three years, but 2011 will be remembered for more negative events in SA cricket, both on and off the field.
The year began with a drawn Test series against India, though the South Africans went on to beat the tourists 3-2 in the one-day international series.
Full of hope and looking like real contenders, the Proteas flew off to the sub-continent to take part in the 2011 Cricket World Cup in March.
They cruised through to the quarterfinals where the bowlers played their part and restricted New Zealand to 221 for eight.
But the mental fragility of the batsmen, once again, came to the fore as they were unravelled in the face of the Kiwis.
While there was genuine sympathy for the Proteas, Graeme Smith was publicly chastised for opting not to return home with the squad but instead to go on a personal sojourn to Ireland.
The Proteas had a five-month break to glue themselves back together, during which time Cricket SA appointed World Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten as director of cricket, with Allan Donald and Russell Domingo as his assistants.
A refreshed side then hosted Australia in a two-Test series and they won the first match in an extraordinary fashion at Newlands in November.
They became the first team in over 100 years to make fewer than 100 runs (96) in the first innings and still go on to win the match.
They lost the next Test at the Wanderers, however, and again, as against India, shared the series 1-1.
At the start of the year, the Proteas said farewell to tireless servant Makhaya Ntini, who took 390 Test wickets and 266 ODI scalps, while they welcomed Vernon Philander into the fold in November.
Philander made an instant impact on debut against Australia at Newlands, where his five-wicket haul in the second innings was largely responsible for the tourists' sensational 47-all-out collapse.
He took another three “fifers” in his next two Tests but missed the last match of the year against Sri Lanka with a knee injury.
Pakistan-born leg-spinner Imran Tahir burst onto the scene at the World Cup as South Africa defied convention and went into several games with three spinners.
The latest rookie to be capped was Marchant de Lange, who replaced Philander in the Boxing Day Test.
Jacques Rudolph made a welcome return to the Proteas side after a five-year absence and competition proved healthy all-around with top-order batsman Alviro Petersen and pace bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, among others, knocking loudly to regain their spots.
On the domestic front, the Cobras were the most successful franchise side in 2011.
They started the year by winning the Pro20 Series, sponsored for the last time by Standard Bank, and went on to clinch the 2010/11
four-day SuperSport Series.
More recently, they won the unsponsored 50-over One-day Cup tournament, which replaced the MTN40, making them triple-crown winners in the calendar year.
Stealing the limelight from all the on-field achievements, however, were the shenanigans of CSA's board members.
Former president Mtutuzeli Nyoka was fired twice by the federation's board for demanding an explanation into unofficial bonuses paid to its chief executive, Gerald Majola, and other CSA staff members.
Ousted in February, Nyoka took the matter to the High Court and was reinstated in May. He was also successful in ensuring an external forensic audit was conducted into CSA's financial affairs.
While Majola was found guilty of breaching sections of the Companies' Act, Nyoka was fired for a second time in October.
With the board seemingly turning a blind eye to Majola's misdeeds, sports minister Fikile Mbalula called for an inquiry into the bonus scandal and sponsors appeared to be in no rush to be associated with the sport as the year drew to a close. – Sapa