South Africa vs Australia - Prediction, Preview & H2H · WTC 2026
Head-to-head record
Season comparison
South Africa vs Australia: preview and key facts
South Africa play Australia at Newlands on Tuesday 27 October in WTC 2026. Australia lead the head-to-head 2-1 from 4 meetings. Confirmed XIs land around the toss; until then this page shows each side's likely team and full squad.
Frequently asked questions
Who is playing in South Africa vs Australia?
Confirmed XIs are announced around the toss, about 30 minutes before the start. Based on their last matches, South Africa are likely to field Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma and 7 more, and Australia Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and 7 more. The full predicted XIs and squads are on this page.
Who captains South Africa and Australia?
Temba Bavuma captains South Africa, with Kyle Verreynne keeping wicket. Pat Cummins captains Australia, with Alex Carey keeping wicket. Confirmed XIs land at the toss, about 30 minutes before the start, and both full squads are on this page.
Who leads the South Africa vs Australia head-to-head record?
Australia lead 2-1 from 4 matches, with 1 draw or no-result. They last met at Lord's on 11 Jun 2025: South Africa won by 5 wickets.
What is South Africa's current form in 2025/2027?
South Africa have won 3 and lost 1 of their 4 matches in 2025/2027, averaging 330.3 runs per match and conceding 275.3. Each side's last five results are on this page, beside the head-to-head record.
What is Australia's current form in 2025/2027?
Australia have won 4 and lost 1 of their 5 matches in 2025/2027, averaging 217.6 runs per match and conceding 212. Each side's last five results are on this page, beside the head-to-head record.
When and where is South Africa vs Australia being played?
South Africa vs Australia is being played at Newlands on Tuesday 27 October 2026, starting at 08:00 UK time (08:00 UTC, 13:30 IST).
Who are the top run-scorers in South Africa vs Australia head-to-head matches?
Across the 4 meetings Statz has on record, the top run-scorers in South Africa vs Australia meetings are Steven Smith (Australia, 291 runs), Travis Head (Australia, 224 runs) and David Warner (Australia, 210 runs). The head-to-head card on this page has each of those matches, with the scores and the result.
Who are the top wicket-takers in South Africa vs Australia head-to-head matches?
Across the 4 meetings Statz has on record, the top wicket-takers in South Africa vs Australia meetings are Kagiso Rabada (South Africa, 12 wickets), Pat Cummins (Australia, 11 wickets) and Marco Jansen (South Africa, 7 wickets). The head-to-head card on this page has each of those matches, with the scores and the result.
Who are the in-form batters for South Africa and Australia?
Across each side's last 10 matches, the leading run-scorers are Ryan Rickelton (South Africa, 527 runs in 8 innings), Wiaan Mulder (South Africa, 449 runs in 7 innings) and Travis Head (Australia, 391 runs in 10 innings). Ryan Rickelton's latest innings: 14, 23 and 35.
Who are the in-form bowlers for South Africa and Australia?
Across each side's last 10 matches, the leading wicket-takers are Mitchell Starc (Australia, 31 wickets in 10 innings), Keshav Maharaj (South Africa, 17 wickets in 7 innings) and Marco Jansen (South Africa, 16 wickets in 7 innings). Each bowler's figures from those matches are in the form cards on this page.
Where are South Africa and Australia in the standings?
South Africa are 6th with 36 points from 4 matches, and Australia are 1st with 96 points from 5 matches. The full table, with every side's points, is on the standings page.
What is the pitch like at Newlands?
Over the last 6 completed matches at Newlands since Jan 2018 (rain-affected games excluded), the average match total is 915 runs, the first innings averages 271 and teams batting first have won 50%. 90% of wickets fall to pace and 9% to spin.
What is South Africa's record at Newlands?
South Africa have won 4 and lost 2 of their 6 matches at Newlands. Across all sides, teams batting first have won 50% of matches there. The ground's average scores and toss record are on the venue tab.