Cummins plans ODI tune-up before Australia’s Test tour of South Africa

Pat Cummins said in Mackay on August 23, 2026 that he “can’t wait” to play in Australia’s first Test series in South Africa since the Sandpapergate affair and intends to use upcoming one-day matches as preparation; he added he could skip the Zimbabwe leg but would make himself available for some of the South Africa white-ball games.

The remarks came after Australia drew a two-Test series with Bangladesh; Cummins remains Australia’s official ODI captain but has featured in only two of a possible 28 one-day internationals since the 2023 World Cup.

“I’m not sure I should say this, but I think the focus is on the Test series,” Cummins said. “So a lot of the white-ball (series), and how we play that, would be with an eye to the red ball.” “So I’d imagine it’d be one, two, probably a maximum of three games out of those six,” he added, remarks made after Australia’s innings-and-51-run win over Bangladesh in Mackay on Sunday (August 23, 2026).

Mitchell Hazlewood told reporters in Mackay he expected to play some of the 50-over matches, while Mitchell Starc said he would “do what he’s told.” The three quicks have prioritised Test cricket in recent years, the article noted.

The upcoming Tests will be Australia’s first tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal; Steve Smith was banned for a year and sacked as captain after conspiring to alter the ball with sandpaper during the third Test in Cape Town, and David Warner received a 12-month suspension.

Cummins described the series as “big,” recalling Australia’s 2-0 win at home in 2022-23 and saying, “They got us back at Lord’s last year and outplayed us. So it’s going to be big in their home conditions and places we have haven’t played for quite a while.” He also observed: “Even the difference between Durban to, say, Cape Town can be quite different styles of pitches.” “That’s why I love playing Test cricket. It’s all different conditions, different opponents, different parts of the world,” he said.

Only Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood, Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon and Matt Renshaw have Test experience in South Africa. Renshaw is likely to retain his place despite a tepid return after three years away, while Marnus Labuschagne scored 36 runs in three knocks against Bangladesh and has not registered a century since 2023. “I did say a couple of days ago — and I think it still stands — that he’s been batting fantastically well off the field,” said Cummins. “But it doesn’t mean much. You’ve got to convert that into runs out there.”

Australia’s immediate schedule comprises three ODIs in Zimbabwe followed by three in South Africa in late September, and a Test series in October with matches scheduled in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town.