Australia and South Africa meet in 1st ODI in Durban

Australia and South Africa lined up for the national anthems in Durban on September 24, 2026, ahead of the first One-Day International between the sides. Both teams announced their playing XIs before the start.

Matt Renshaw said he found the humidity higher than expected and judged the wicket to be similar to the Gabba, adding he has enjoyed his first playing experience in South Africa and sampling local braais. He described batting at No. 4 as a different challenge after moving around the order and contrasted that role with red-ball cricket, where he is more accustomed to opening. Renshaw said the tour is an important opportunity ahead of the World Cup to understand conditions and gain white-ball experience in South Africa, after having already played Test cricket in the country. He joked that his off-spin was "very filthy," suggested he could be called on to bowl if needed, and said he tries to model himself on former England spinner Graeme Swann while acknowledging differences in skill set.

South African head coach Shukri Conrad warned there was a "massive summer" ahead and said a strong showing against Australia would set the tone, while admitting recent injuries have been disruptive but describing resilience as a hallmark of the team. He said he was wary of knee-jerk reactions and that systems are being put in place to manage setbacks. On the significance of the run-up to the World Cup, Conrad said building capacity and depth will happen over the course of the nine ODIs before next year's tournament, and that a couple more matches before the World Cup are "still to be confirmed." He framed the absence of experienced bowlers like Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi as an opportunity for younger players to come through.

Mitchell Marsh said Australia were happy to bowl first after an early start and pointed to positives from their recent tour of Zimbabwe. On Cooper Connolly, Marsh said: "He's a great kid, he's a super talent." He added: "It's always great to have those guys (experienced pacers) back." Marsh also said: "Every series is very important for us. Hopefully we have a good series."

South Africa captain Temba Bavuma, who said: "It's my first ODI game here. We would have bowled first as well. We need to adapt quickly. Opportunity for the guys to come in and perform. Still a long way to go (for the World Cup), there are a couple of spots up for grabs," confirmed it was his first ODI in Durban and that he would have opted to bowl. He warned the ball was expected to swing early and said the squad had to "dig deep into its resources" because of injuries, viewing the situation as an opportunity for incoming players and stressing the need to build momentum.

Shaun Pollock's pitch assessment noted bright sunshine after a cloudy start, a slight breeze and a short boundary measuring 52 metres with the wind blowing toward it, which he said would make things difficult for bowlers. He added there had been a lot of rain in Durban over the last couple of weeks and that an underdone, soft surface would not surprise him. Vernon Philander said there was a bit of moisture on the surface and predicted some grip for spinners, naming Keshav Maharaj as a key player and calling the decision to bowl first a good one because the two new balls would be effective and the toss would confer a slight advantage.

Australia (Playing XI) - Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (C), Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis (WK), Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Jack Edwards, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazlewood. South Africa (Playing XI) - Quinton de Kock (WK), Tony de Zorzi, Temba Bavuma (C), Matthew Breetzke, Ryan Rickelton, David Miller, Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin and Keshav Maharaj. Mitchell Marsh captains the Australian side and Temba Bavuma leads South Africa.

Conrad stressed that the sequence of fixtures — the nine ODIs this year and possibly a couple more before the World Cup, still to be confirmed — will be used to test positions and combinations and to build depth. That selection process, he and Bavuma said, leaves a few places available and makes the opening ODI part of the wider run-up to next year's tournament.