It said it had bought the right to flight the ads from the management of the Sahara Park St George's Cricket Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

The Congress of the People said it respected Cricket SA's (CSA) right to comment on the issue as well as its policy on political advertising.

"(But) we wish to state that Cope approached the matter in a purely professional manner, purchasing the rights to flight its ads from the management of the cricket stadium," the party said in a statement.

"We strongly believe that as a client of the stadium, we deserve to be treated with respect as this was purely a business transaction."

Had the policy been explained to Cope, it would have respected this and both Cope and CSA would have avoided an unnecessary controversy, the party said.

On Monday, CSA strongly condemned what it said was the unauthorised Cope advertisements.

"Cricket SA condemns in the strongest terms the unauthorised Cope advertisements that were displayed on the perimeter of the playing field during the fourth MTN ODI between South Africa and Australia," CSA president Mtutuzeli Nyoka said in the statement.

CSA ordered that the advertisements be stopped soon after they first appeared.

"The decision to show these advertisements was a unilateral one by the host stadium and CSA immediately demanded the withdrawal of the advertisements when they first began to appear.

"CSA is to take up this matter in the strongest terms at its disposal with its affiliate, the Eastern Province Amateur Cricket Board," he said.

"The display of these advertisements flies straight in the face of CSA's a-political policy which strictly forbids political advertisements at cricket matches under its auspices."