Watch South Africa vs Australia 2026 1st Test: Live Streams & Schedule

The South Africa vs Australia 1st Test 2026 could scarcely be dripping in more narrative. Eight years have passed since the Aussies last played a five-day game in the Rainbow Nation, with then captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft conspiring to use sandpaper to rough up the ball. The scandal, and attempted coverup, has dominated chatter between Test cricket’s top two sides ever since.

Smith is the only member of that trio still in the Australia setup and you can bet the 37-year-old batter, who received a 12-month ban for his role in the ball-tampering affair, will cop for some stick. Keeping matters on the pitch, South Africa-born Marnus Labuschagne scored his first century in any form of cricket for a year in the warmup game against a Cricket South Africa Invitation XI to likely keep his place at first drop despite no century in a Test match dating back to the Ashes in 2023. Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Matt Renshaw should all feature but Cameron Green will miss out with an abdominal strain for Pat Cummins’ side. Nic Maddinson or Cooper Connolly will be Green’s likely replacement, the former hasn’t played first-class cricket in 19 months.