Cricket South Africa have been engulfed in a storm of rage after trying to cash in on the thousands of England fans travelling for next winter’s Test series.

Tickets for the third Test at the scenic Newlands ground in Cape Town, nestled under Table Mountain, sold out within five minutes of being made available online on Monday, sparking ire amongst fans on both sides.

Within a quarter of an hour, the first batches had appeared on resale ticket websites, with Viagogo showing them as available to purchase for £300 each. Meanwhile, tickets for the first two Tests on the Highveld - at the Wanderers and Supersport Park - remained available at 350 Rand (£15.90) to locals.

South African fans blamed English fans - and the Barmy Army in particular - for hoovering up the tickets for the New Year’s match in Cape Town.

As South African supporters vented their frustration on social media, within a raft of available packages for the tour, the Barmy Army were advertising a return trip from the UK to witness that particular fixture, and indulge in a New Year’s Eve safari, at a cost of £5,795.

However, Daily Mail Sport can reveal that it is the formation of South Africa Cricket Travel - a new company set up between Cricket South Africa and the Johannesburg-based Tourvest - that has sent prices soaring.

Instead of selling seats onto established tour operators, they are maximising revenue by forcing them to purchase bundles which include tickets along with hotels and transfers to venues - and including their own cut in the final price.

‘There’s English tax everywhere we go now,’ said one experienced member of the cricket travel industry.

The South African board have copied the model used by their Australian counterparts for last winter's Ashes, but done so at the last minute rather than two years in advance.

Chris Millard, Barmy Army managing director, said: ‘As an official tour operator, the Barmy Army receives a small, pre-agreed ticket allocation directly from Cricket South Africa many months in advance. This allocation is entirely separate from the public ticket release process and does not reduce the number of tickets made available through general sale. We do not purchase tickets from public sale.

‘A number of other official tour operators receive similar allocations as part of the same process for major overseas tours. The Barmy Army has no involvement in how overseas cricket boards manage public ticket sales, pricing structures or resale activity. Over the years, we have done our utmost to lobby and work with cricket boards to find the best possible solution for cricket fans.

‘Our tours provide one option for England supporters who want to travel together to follow the team overseas, while we also fully recognise and support the many thousands of fans who choose to travel independently to support England abroad.

‘During our recent visit to South Africa, we also lobbied on behalf of travelling England supporters more broadly, advocating for ticket pricing to remain consistent with previous tours and in line with supporter expectations - regardless of whether fans were travelling with the Barmy Army or independently.

‘We appreciate how disappointing it is when demand significantly exceeds supply for a major Test match, particularly for supporters who missed out in the public sale.’

With CSA inundated with messages of complaint, they released a statement on Monday lunchtime clarifying that all tickets had been purchased.

‘Thank you to every fan who secured their seat. There’s still time to get your tickets for all the other matches taking place across the country this coming summer,’ it read.

‘SA Cricket Travel is designed to take fans to the heart of the game. To feel the passion, energy and spirit of the sport loved by millions whenever the Proteas take the field. More than just a travel service, it offers once-in-a-lifetime cricket experiences that connect supporters to the legacy of the Proteas.’

Another with knowledge of cricket tours said the packages were being sold on at a mark-up of four times face value while corporate tickets that were worth £80 on the 2019-20 tour were now being priced up at £270, with a caveat that they must be purchased for all five days.

An estimated 10,000 England supporters are expected to attend the series - around half of Newlands’ current reduced capacity.

Cricket South Africa were contacted for comment.