{"id":1542,"date":"2026-02-23T17:30:06","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/?post_type=news&#038;p=1542"},"modified":"2026-02-23T17:30:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T12:00:09","slug":"australia-vs-south-africa-test-tour","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/news\/australia-vs-south-africa-test-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia vs South Africa Test Tour Schedule Out"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After eight long years, Australia national cricket team will return to South Africa for a full-fledged Test tour, marking their first red-ball series in the country since the controversial 2018 Cape Town tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cricket South Africa has officially unveiled its 2026-27 international fixtures, confirming a highly anticipated three-Test series between the reigning ICC World Test Championship finalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Return to Cape Town \u2013 A Historic Moment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The series will conclude at the iconic Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, the venue where the infamous 2018 ball-tampering scandal unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Several senior Australian players, including Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood, are expected to headline the return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, former opener David Warner has since retired, while Cameron Bancroft is unlikely to feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ODI Series Before Test Battle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tour will begin with a three-match ODI series in September 2026:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1st ODI \u2013 September 24, Durban<br>2nd ODI \u2013 September 27, Johannesburg<br>3rd ODI \u2013 September 30, Potchefstroom<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A warm-up match will follow before the Test series kicks off in October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Full Test Series Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1st Test: October 9-13 \u2013 Durban<br>2nd Test: October 18-22 \u2013 Gqeberha<br>3rd Test: October 27-31 \u2013 Cape Town<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The three-Test battle is expected to play a major role in shaping the next ICC World Test Championship final race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Big Season for South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The South Africa national cricket team will defend its World Test Championship title during a busy home season. After Australia, they will host Bangladesh and England for multi-format tours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Due to financial restructuring and the rise of the SA20 league, South Africa has reduced their Test commitments in recent years. However, this summer marks a significant return to red-ball cricket at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why This Series Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>First Australia Test tour of SA since 2018<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Return to the Newlands venue<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>WTC points at stake<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High-profile rivalry between the last two champions<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The 2026 Australia tour of South Africa promises intense cricket, emotional returns, and major World Test Championship implications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1543,"template":"","tags":[799,798],"ppma_author":[489],"class_list":["post-1542","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-australia-cricket-schedule-2026","tag-south-africa-vs-australia-fixtures"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/1542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1542"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cricbex.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=1542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}