Australia South Africa Test Tour

Australia have wrapped up their matches against Bangladesh. The contest had its fair share of tense moments, but the team ultimately came out on top. Their attention now shifts to the upcoming battle with South Africa. The Australia South Africa Test Tour gets underway in October and will play a decisive role in the race for a place in the ICC World Test Championship Final.

Stakes Are High Ahead of the Australia South Africa Test Tour

The coming weeks will be extremely demanding for the Australian national cricket team. Having just completed their matches against Bangladesh, the Aussies are now gearing up for their trip to South Africa.

Australia will face the Proteas in what promises to be a showdown between two of the strongest sides in Test cricket. For Australia, the South Africa Test tour will also be a chance to get their own back after last year’s ICC World Test Championship Final at Lord’s.

Australian captain Pat Cummins said he immediately turned his attention to the upcoming Tests because there is so much riding on the series. A victory over South Africa would send Australia through to next year’s WTC Final.

Cummins said:

“South Africa are very strong opponents. They have a quality side. We faced them in Australia a couple of years ago and came away with the win, but then they beat us at Lord’s last year with the title on the line. We are not expecting an easy series. It will be a tight battle, but we know exactly what is at stake.”

Australia’s clash with the South African Proteas is set to become one of the most intense cricket contests of the year. The two teams currently occupy the top two spots in the ICC World Test Championship standings.

Both sides have plenty to lose and even more to fight for. South Africa will be looking to prove that they deserve their status as the reigning champions, while Australia has the opportunity to reach a third consecutive ICC WTC Final. Next year’s decider will be held at The Oval in London.

Australia South Africa Test Tour Schedule

The two national teams will meet in a three Test series. Australia will enter the series as the touring side, while South Africa will have home advantage. The matches will be staged in three major cities, with the final Test taking place in Cape Town.

Dates and venues for the Test matches in South Africa:

Most members of Australia’s current squad have never played Test cricket at South African grounds, so this will be a completely new experience for them.

Only six players (Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith and Matt Renshaw) were part of Australia’s most recent tour of South Africa in 2018. Could that lack of experience hold the team back? Cummins shared his thoughts on the challenge:

“We haven’t played Test cricket at these venues for a long time, so the conditions are still something of an unknown. I expect there to be a noticeable difference between Durban and Cape Town, and the pitches could call for very different bowling approaches. But that is exactly why I love Test cricket: challenging conditions, different opponents and the opportunity to play in so many different parts of the world.”

Looking back at 2018, Australia’s Test tour of South Africa ended in defeat, with the Proteas winning three of the four matches. In that sense, the upcoming series gives Australia a chance to settle two scores at once: avenge both their previous tour defeat and last year’s loss in the WTC Final.

Three scheduled One Day Internationals against Zimbabwe in Harare in September should help the Australians acclimatize to the conditions. These will be followed by another three 50-over matches, this time against the Proteas.

Pat Cummins, who has not featured regularly in ODI cricket for some time, has made it clear that he does not intend to burn himself out during these games. His main priority will be the Test series. Nevertheless, the Australian captain has promised that he plans to take part in at least one of the ODI matches.