Cricket Australia have named a 16-member squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa, starting from October 9. The series holds importance as both sides eye a place in World Test Championship (WTC) final next year.
Meanwhile, Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has been retained after missing out on the ODI squad for the same tour. Some new faces will also feature in the Test series.
Australia will be touring South Africa for the first time since the infamous 2018 series, when the ball tampering scandal involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft took place.
Australia Squad for South Africa Test Series
The Australian will feature some players that missed out on the recent home series against Bangladesh. The inclusion signifies focus on changed conditions on South Africa soil.
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Player
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Role/Note
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Pat Cummins
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Captain & Fast bowler
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Scott Boland
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Fast bowler
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Alex Carey
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Wicketkeeper-batter
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Cooper Connolly
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All-rounder / Top-order batter
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Cameron Green
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All-rounder
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Josh Hazlewood
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Fast bowler
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Travis Head
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Batter
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Josh Inglis
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Wicketkeeper-batter
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Matthew Kuhnemann
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Left-arm spinner
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Marnus Labuschagne
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Batter
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Nathan Lyon
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Off-spinner
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Michael Neser
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Fast-bowling all-rounder
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Matthew Renshaw
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Opening batter
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Steve Smith
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Batter
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Mitchell Starc
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Fast bowler
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Beau Webster
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All-rounder
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Only five players in the current squad were also part of Australia’s 2018 tour: Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and Matt Renshaw.
Australia vs South Africa Test Series 2026: Schedule
The opening Test of the Test series will commence from October 9 to 13 at Kingsmead, Durban. Below are the complete schedule along with venues.
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Match
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Date
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Venue
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1st Test
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October 9–13, 2026
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Kingsmead, Durban
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2nd Test
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October 18–22, 2026
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St George's Park, Gqeberha
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3rd Test
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October 27–31, 2026
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Newlands, Cape Town
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Why Marnus Labuschagne Retained for South Africa Test Series?
The inclusion of Marnus Labuschagne has become a major talking point on social media following his exclusion from the ODI squad. The right-hand batter has been struggling across formats over the last couple of years. In his last 20 innings, Labuschagne has scored only 392 runs at an average of below 25.
He has also never played a Test match on South African soil, making this an important opportunity for the 32-year-old in his career. The upcoming series could be a crucial test for Labuschagne as he looks to regain his form.
One of the reasons behind Labuschagne’s retention could be his performance in the previous Ashes series. During the 2025-26 Ashes, he finished as the fourth highest run scorer and played some crucial knocks. In 10 innings, he scored 259 runs, including 2 fifties.
With South Africa expected to offer challenging batting conditions, Labuschagne could prove to be a valuable player for Australia.