Pat Cummins signals review of Australia Test side after 2-1 series loss in South Africa

Australia captain Pat Cummins said on November 1, 2026 that changes to the Test side would have to be considered after their 2-1 series defeat to South Africa, which finished with a 176-run loss in Cape Town.

Australia surrendered a 1-0 lead when they lost the final two Tests, giving South Africa the series; the Cape Town defeat was their third in the last five Tests and their fourth in seven matches dating back to the Boxing Day Test against England last season. The series loss also coincided with Australia losing their No. 1 position in the ICC Test rankings for the first time since May 2024 and slipping to third in the World Test Championship standings.

Cummins acknowledged the need for internal review and indicated both style and personnel could be examined, saying: "I think it's always the case after losing a series [that changes are talked about], and it's probably fair, we lost two games in a row," and adding, "It's fair to be asking those questions, we'll be asking them internally as well." He also warned the side must get better if it wants to return to the top, saying: "We are a very good side, but I think we need to get a little bit better if we want to get back to No. 1 ... so maybe that's a change of style, maybe it's a change of personnel in some instances. Give us a couple of weeks and work it out."

Australia's batting failures were a central theme of the series: they were bowled out for 99 in the first innings at St George's Park and then failed to chase 288 in Cape Town, with Simon Harmer cited as playing a key role in South Africa's victory in the final Test.

Marnus Labuschagne's form came under scrutiny after he scored 0 and 4 in Cape Town, extending his run without a Test half-century to 16 innings. Steven Smith is expected to return for Australia's next Test assignment provided he recovers from his neck injury, and selectors face the practical issue that a direct replacement for Labuschagne would require a reshuffle of the batting order.

Reflecting on the Cape Town chase, Cummins admitted the batters had made poor decisions: "[There were] a few poor decisions," he said. "I know it was a day-five wicket but I don't think it was drastic, there were runs to be scored out there, there was lots of balls to face." He added that the team needed to improve its game management against quality bowling, saying: "A lot of it was managing those tempos," and, "Perhaps we overplayed the spin, we could have backed our defence a little bit longer."

Australia's next Test assignment is a four-match series against New Zealand beginning in Perth on December 9; Smith's fitness and the selectors' assessment of the batting order will be among the key talking points before that series, and Labuschagne's position in the lineup is likely to be one of the biggest selection questions facing the selectors.