Australia will play Test cricket in South Africa for the first time since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal later this year, with dates and venue for the highly-anticipated tour confirmed on Monday.
In September to October, Pat Cummins’ side will play three ODIs and three Tests against the Proteas, the reigning World Test Champions, including a five-day contest at Newlands, the venue where Cameron Bancroft was caught applying sandpaper to rough up the match ball in 2018.
Australia has toured South Africa for white-ball matches in 2020 and 2023, but the infamous 2018 series remains the nation’s most recent Test venture to the African nation. The Australians were scheduled to travel to South Africa for a three-Test series in 2021, but the tour was cancelled due to Covid-19 complications.
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Multiple of the Australian players who featured in the infamous Cape Town Test, including Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc and Cummins, played an T20I at Newlands during the 2020 tour.
“South Africa has enjoyed excellent recent form in all formats and the clash between the teams that contested the last World Cricket Championship final will be particularly compelling,” Cricket Australia’s operations boss Peter Roach said in a statement.
“We’re grateful to Cricket South Africa for their collaboration on this schedule for what should be a hugely entertaining tour.”
Following the three ODIs in September, Australia and South Africa will play Tests in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town, with the final match concluding on October 31. It will be South Africa’s first home Test series since January 2025, primarily due to financial constraints.
The tour also includes warm-up match in Potchefstroom, while every match of the multi-format series will be shown live and ad-break free on Foxtel and streaming platform Kayo Sports.
“We are really looking forward to welcoming three strong cricketing nations in Australia, Bangladesh and England,” CSA chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said in a statement.
“These tours will undoubtedly draw fans from across the country to our stadiums. We anticipate a vibrant and competitive summer that celebrates the very best of international cricket in South Africa.”
Australia and South Africa, who played last year’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s, are currently first and third respectively on the WTC standings.
The Australians are expected to play two Tests against Bangladesh in August before travelling to South Africa.
Australia’s 2026 Tour of South Africa
First ODI – September 24, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Second ODI – September 27, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
Third ODI – September 30, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom (D/N)
Warm-up match – October 3-4, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
First Test – October 9-13, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Second Test – October 18-22, St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Third Test- October 27-31, Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town
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