Australia and South Africa will meet in the series-deciding Newlands Test in Cape Town on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, with the series level at 1-1. The match also brings several Australian players back to the ground where the 2018 ball-tampering scandal unfolded.

Smith returns to Newlands

Former Australia captain Steve Smith was at the center of the 2018 scandal and faced significant fallout at home. He has averaged a little over 20 with the bat on the current tour.

Current captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon were also part of the 2018 side. They have said they had no knowledge of the attempt to alter the ball with sandpaper.

Australia opener Travis Head expressed support for Smith, pointing to how he handled similar attention in England in 2019. Ticket sales for the first three days at Newlands have been strong after sparse crowds at the first two Tests.

Newlands Test conditions and team selection

Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey said the pitch looked like another good Test-match surface, while noting that the match was still a couple of days away. The teams recorded substantial wins in Durban and Gqeberha in the first two Tests.

South Africa will be without fast bowler Anrich Nortje, who injured his groin in the second Test. Captain Temba Bavuma named Gerald Coetzee, Dane Paterson, Corbin Bosch and Senuran Muthusamy among the available options, with conditions set to guide the selection.

No Test has previously been played at Newlands in October. The most recent November Test there was South Africa’s eight-wicket win over Australia in 2011, when Australia were bowled out for 47 in their second innings.

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