South Africa and Australia reopen the World Test Championship final at Kingsmead on Friday, with Australia back in South Africa for the first time since 2018 and Marnus Labuschagne's No. 3 spot under pressure.
South Africa and Australia meet in the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, from Friday 9 October 2026, a rematch of the 2025 World Test Championship final. ESPNcricinfo reported (byline Alex Malcolm) in its match preview on Thursday 8 October that the series could shape next year's WTC decider.
| At a glance | Details |
|---|---|
| First Test | South Africa v Australia, Kingsmead, Durban, 9-13 October 2026 |
| Second Test | Gqeberha, 18-22 October 2026 |
| Third Test | Cape Town, 27-31 October 2026 |
| Last meeting | 2025 WTC final at Lord's: South Africa won by 5 wickets chasing 282 |
| Context | Australia's first Test tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering series |
Lord's revisited
South Africa beat Australia by five wickets at Lord's in the 2025 final, chasing 282 behind Aiden Markram's 136 and Temba Bavuma's 66, to end a 27-year wait for an ICC trophy. Now the two sides face off again in a three-Test series on South African soil.
It is Australia's first Test tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering ("sandpaper") series. The preview notes that both teams are among the frontrunners in the 2025-27 WTC cycle, and that Australia need to start winning away after drawing both of their away series this cycle.
South Africa's XI
South Africa have confirmed a settled XI: Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wicketkeeper), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Anrich Nortje.
Nortje returns to the Test side after three and a half years. Jansen leads a young pace attack, with Maharaj and Harmer as two spinners. Kagiso Rabada is out with a hamstring injury: South Africa opted to give him extra days to reach full match readiness rather than risk him for the opener. Lungi Ngidi is also out of the series. Rabada's absence is covered in our separate report on his ruling-out.
Australia's pressure point
The preview reports that Marnus Labuschagne's place at No. 3 is under threat, with Marcus Harris and the returning Cameron Green as competition. Green is in the tour squad but has been ruled out of the first Test with an abdominal strain.
Read the full preview on Cricinfo. Cricinfo.
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