Eight years after Sandpapergate, Australia begin three-Test tour of South Africa in Durban on October 9
Australia begin a three-Test series against South Africa in Durban on Friday, October 9, eight years after the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal and with both sides occupying the top two positions in the World Test Championship standings. The contest reunites the teams that met in last year’s WTC final at Lord’s, where South Africa beat Australia by five wickets.
The 2018 tour and its fallout remain part of the backdrop: Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were suspended after being found to have used sandpaper to alter the ball, triggering bans and resignations. Only a handful of players from that era are in Australia’s touring party — Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and Matthew Renshaw — while the current series carries broader competitive stakes beyond settling old scores. South Africa enter as 2023-25 WTC winners after beating Australia in the Lord’s final, and both teams arrive with momentum in the 2025-27 cycle.
Australia sit No. 1 in the WTC 2025-27 standings with eight wins from 10 Tests and a points percentage of 80, while South Africa are second with three wins from four Tests and a 75% points percentage. Australia have not won a Test series in South Africa since 2014, and the three-match tour is one of the more demanding assignments on their schedule ahead of subsequent away series in India and England.
Concerns persist around Australia’s batting, notably that Marnus Labuschagne had gone more than three years without a Test century until he scored 111 against a Cricket South Africa Invitational XI in the warm-up match. Travis Head, Steve Smith and Cameron Green are cited as sources of firepower, and Nathan Lyon is described as a crucial weapon for the tourists. Mitchell Starc framed the upcoming stretch of away series in high personal terms, saying: "It's somewhat unusual that you play the three marquee series away from home in the space of 12 months," Starc told Cricinfo. "And there's two where we, as an Australian team, haven't won in a long time. Then you throw in the side of the narrative that we're obviously an older side and we've been together a long time, and the pressure comes from both of those things. "But if, in 12 or 14 months time, we are sat here and we have won three away test series and a World Cup it'd be, I guess, the equivalent of Rory McIlroy winning four majors in the same year."
South Africa’s homecoming is their first Test on home soil since securing the 2023-25 World Test Championship and follows a recent run that included a 2-0 series win in India in November 2025 and the 2-0 victory over Australia in the WTC final; their only setback in the current cycle was a drawn series against Pakistan. Temba Bavuma leads a side described as built around collective contributions rather than dependence on a single star, but they will be without Kagiso Rabada for the opener as he continues recovery from a hamstring injury; Rabada took nine wickets in the 2025 WTC final.
Anrich Nortje is set to return to Test cricket for South Africa in Durban, his first Test since March 2023 when he last played against the West Indies, having taken 70 wickets in 19 Tests and capable of regularly crossing the 145kph mark. Nortje’s return follows a period focused on limited-overs cricket and physical preparation for red-ball demands. The hosts have selected two spinners, Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, and the announced XI lists Nortje as the sole specialist quick alongside all-rounder Marco Jansen, with Harmer and Maharaj expected to play important roles as the Test progresses.
The Kingsmead surface is not expected to be an absolute belter, with pacers likely to extract assistance: of the 32 result-oriented Tests at the venue, 19 have been won by teams batting first, and in the last eight Tests in Durban teams batting first have won by 200 runs on four occasions, prompting the common view that sides should look to bat first. Matches - 102 | South Africa - 27 | Australia - 54 | Draw - 21 Matches - 54 | South Africa - 16 | Australia - 29 | Draw - 9
South Africa named Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (C), Tristan Stubbs, Wiaan Mulder, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Anrich Nortje, while Australia’s XI is Travis Head, Matthew Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Nic Maddinson, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (C), Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.
The first Test between South Africa and Australia will start at 1 PM IST, and live streaming of the match will be available on Fancode.