Australia v South Africa Tests: Times and Where to Watch
Australia and South Africa play a three-match Test series from Friday, Oct. 9. The first Test starts at 09:30 in Durban (07:30 UTC), Cricket Australia's match centre shows. The Tests are in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town and count toward the World Test Championship.
South Africa are the reigning World Test champions and beat Australia in last year's final. It is Australia's first Test tour of the country since the 2018 trip that ended in the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands, Cricket Australia notes. South Africa won the one-day series that opened the tour 2–1, Wikipedia's tour page shows.
What time does each Test start?
| Where | 1st Test Fri. Oct. 9 | 2nd Test Sun. Oct. 18 | 3rd Test Tue. Oct. 27 |
|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 07:30 | 08:00 | 08:30 |
| South Africa, Zimbabwe | 9:30am | 10:00am | 10:30am |
| London, Dublin | 8:30am | 9:00am | 8:30am |
| New York, Toronto | 3:30am | 4:00am | 4:30am |
| Los Angeles, Vancouver | 12:30am | 1:00am | 1:30am |
| Barbados, Trinidad | 3:30am | 4:00am | 4:30am |
| Jamaica | 2:30am | 3:00am | 3:30am |
| Lagos | 8:30am | 9:00am | 9:30am |
| Nairobi, Riyadh | 10:30am | 11:00am | 11:30am |
| Dubai | 11:30am | 12:00pm | 12:30pm |
| Karachi | 12:30pm | 1:00pm | 1:30pm |
| Delhi, Mumbai, Colombo | 1:00pm | 1:30pm | 2:00pm |
| Dhaka | 1:30pm | 2:00pm | 2:30pm |
| Kuala Lumpur, Singapore | 3:30pm | 4:00pm | 4:30pm |
| Perth | 3:30pm | 4:00pm | 4:30pm |
| Brisbane | 5:30pm | 6:00pm | 6:30pm |
| Adelaide | 6:00pm | 6:30pm | 7:00pm |
| Sydney, Melbourne | 6:30pm | 7:00pm | 7:30pm |
| Auckland | 8:30pm | 9:00pm | 9:30pm |
These are first-ball times on the opening day of each Test. Play starts at the same time on the days that follow. Clocks in the UK and Europe go back one hour on Oct. 25, and that change is already built into the third-Test times above. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Auckland are already on summer time, and US and Canadian clocks do not change until Nov. 1.
Series schedule
| Test | Dates | Venue | First ball (local) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Fri. Oct. 9 to Tue. Oct. 13 | Kingsmead, Durban | 09:30 |
| 2nd | Sun. Oct. 18 to Thu. Oct. 22 | St George's Park, Gqeberha | 10:00 |
| 3rd | Tue. Oct. 27 to Sat. Oct. 31 | Newlands, Cape Town | 10:30 |
The dates and venues come from Cricket Australia's tour schedule, which also lists a warm-up match in Potchefstroom on Oct. 3 and 4. Its match centre gives the first ball of the second and third Tests as 08:00 and 08:30 UTC, which is 10:00 and 10:30 in South Africa. Local time in South Africa is two hours ahead of UTC all year.
Where to watch the Tests
| Where | How to watch |
|---|---|
| Australia | Fox Cricket on TV and Kayo online. Cricket Australia says every match of the tour is exclusive to them |
| South Africa | SuperSport, with streaming through a sport pack on its website (Wisden) |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports Cricket, and NOW for a no-contract stream. Sky says it will show the tour |
| India | Eurosport on TV and FanCode online (Wisden) |
| Sri Lanka | ThePapare 1 and 3 HD (Dialog TV channels 62 and 128) and the Dialog Play app (Wisden) |
| Pakistan, Bangladesh | Streaming on Tapmad (Wisden) |
| US, Canada, elsewhere | Not listed in the guides we checked. Willow is North America's main cricket channel, so check its schedule and your local rights holder |
Broadcasters are as listed on Oct. 3, 2026. Wisden's list was published before the first one-day match and covers the whole tour, so check your provider before each Test.
Squads and team news
- South Africa named a preliminary 18-player squad on Sept. 28, led by Temba Bavuma. Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is in it while he recovers from a right hamstring injury, and the team says it is giving him "every chance" of playing the first Test. Coach Shukri Conrad said three players will be cut to reach the final squad, Cricket Australia reports.
- Australia are led by Pat Cummins, with Steve Smith as vice-captain. Josh Inglis is out of the first Test with a fractured finger, so Sam Harper and Nic Maddinson were added to the squad, Cricket Australia reports.
- Cameron Green strained his lower abdomen in the last one-day match. Australia are hopeful he will be fit for the first Test, according to the same report.
Times, venues and squads are from Cricket Australia, Wisden and Sky Sports as of Oct. 3, 2026. Check cricket.com.au for late changes.
