The Australian men’s T20 side gets the chance to continue its wonderful run of form by hosting South Africa for a rare winter home series.
The three-match series, to be played in Darwin and Cairns, will be followed by a three-match one-day international series and presents another chapter in the tantalising rivalry between the Aussies and the Proteas.
The contest will mark the hosts’ first match in the Northern Territory in 17 years and gives both sides the opportunity to further their preparation for next year’s T20 World Cup, to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February.
Including this series, Australia have 11 T20s before the big event while South Africa have 19.
BKT Tyres Men’s T20I Series – Australia v South Africa
August 10: First T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 12: Second T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 16: Third T20I, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 7pm AEST
How to watch?
Every ball of the T20I and ODI series will be broadcast live and exclusive on Foxtel, as well as streamed on Kayo Sports.
For those on the go or perhaps those who prefer the wireless, ABC Sport will cover the series on radio.
How else can I follow?
Cricket.com.au and the CA Live app is the place to go for all the news, highlights and reactions following each of the T20 matches. The Unplayable Podcast will also be tracking the series, with interviews and updates from on the ground in the Top End and Far North Queensland.
Listen and subscribe below, or find the show on all podcast platforms:
The squads
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
This group will be bursting with confidence after their unprecedented 5-0 victory in the Caribbean and will be eager to build on the big wins they had within their lineup.
Debutant Mitch Owen was a success down the order while Josh Inglis looked a natural at No.3. Glenn Maxwell opened the batting but admitted that the return of Travis Head means his promotion is only temporary.
Opener or finisher? Owen offers ODI options
Head is one of the big inclusions from the WI squad, along with Josh Hazlewood and Matt Short, who was a late scratching in the Caribbean due to a side injury.
Fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc have been rested as the selectors prioritise their fitness ahead of a huge home summer, while there was no room for WI tourists Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett.
The four players who will only feature in the T20 series and won’t be required for the ODIs are Sean Abbott, Tim David, Matt Kuhnemann and Maxwell, who has retired from the 50-over format.
Has Ellis done enough to pinch a spot off the ‘Big Three’?
South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen
Making the trek across the Indian Ocean for the series include South Africa’s skipper Aiden Markram, imposing quicks Kagiso Rabada and Lungi Ngidi, emerging batters Tristan Stubbs and Dewald Brevis.
As the Proteas have 16 T20s to come following this series as preparation for the T20 World Cup, they have left behind first-choice players such as Marco Jansen, Henrich Klaasen, David Miller, Anrich Nortje and spin duo Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi.
Off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen is the only uncapped player in the squad while inexperienced left-arm quicks Kwena Maphaka and Nandre Burger have an amazing window to put forth their case for more game time.
Keep an eye on top-order left-handers Lhuan-dre Pretorius, 19, and Ryan Rickelton, 29, who can both pack a punch when on song.
IPL star Dewald Brevis will play on Aussie soil for the first time // Getty
Local knowledge
There will be plenty of unknowns for both sides with both northern Australian cities rarely playing host to international cricket.
Australia have played six internationals in Darwin, although never a T20 match. Most recently they hosted Bangladesh for a three-match ODI series in 2008 and previously hosted Tests against the Tigers (2003) and Sri Lanka (2004).
During July’s Australia A series against Sri Lanka A, which was played at the neighbouring Marrara Cricket Ground, the wickets presented were batter-friendly with a run rate of 5.38 in the three 50-over games.
It’s a similar story in Cairns, where the Aussies played the Kiwis in a three-match ODI series in 2022 and before that Tests and ODIs against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004.
The tourists have never played at either venue.
The most recent men’s match at Cazlay’s Stadium in Cairns was a sole match in KFC BBL|12, where the Melbourne Renegades defeated the Brisbane Heat by 22 runs after posting 7-166.
‘Gades weather the Heat in Cairns to open BBL|12 account
Head-to-head
The two sides haven’t met a great deal in the format since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, just one match at the T20 World Cup in 2021 and a three-match series in 2023, which Australia swept.
The overall record stands at 17 wins to Australia and eight to South Africa, and the recent form has been just as dominant.
Recent Australia-South Africa encounters
3 Sep 2023, Durban: Australia won by five wickets
1 Sep 2023, Durban: Australia won by eight wickets
30 Aug 2023, Durban: Australia won by 111 runs
23 Oct 2021, Abu Dhabi: Australia won by five wickets (T20 World Cup)
New kits?
No new playing uniforms for the Aussies (that will come later in the summer) but a new sponsor that will sit front and centre.
Westpac were recently announced as Cricket Australia’s new principal partner and the red ‘W’ will now live on the front of the men’s and women’s international tops.
Keen-eyed fans would have noticed Australia A debuting the new look in their multi-format series against Sri Lanka A in July.
Matt Renshaw sports the new Westpac-adorned playing strip for Australia A // Supplied
Rapid stats
Adam Zampa played his 100th T20I in the fifth match against West Indies in July, becoming the fourth Australian man to the milestone. He is the only Aussie man with more than 100 wickets (125), with the next best Mitch Starc (79) almost 50 poles behind.
Australia are on a five-match winning streak over their African rival, their longest in the format. Before this streak the most either side had won consecutively was two matches.
Since the T20 World Cup last year, Australia are the best batting team in the Powerplay (overs 1-6), with a strike rate of 185. South Africa meanwhile are ranked 10th (among full-member nations), with a paltry Powerplay strike rate of 122.
Should Lungi Ngidi play all three matches in the series, he will reach his 50th T20I in the final match in Cairns, becoming the 13th South African to the mark.
Lungi Ngidi has struggled against Australia in the format: In seven T20I against them his economy rate is 11.28, his worst record against any nation.
Players to watch
Mitch Owen: Hard to go past Australia’s newest debutant who went from a speculative middle-order pick to a key cog in the space of a series. The 23-year-old hit three 30+ scores from No.6 against West Indies, which included 12 sixes and a whopping strike rate of 192.
Kwena Maphaka: If the tourists unleash Maphaka then look out as potentially bouncy pitches could work in the 19-year-old’s favour. The left-armer made his IPL debut before his international debut after impressing the coaches at Mumbai Indians following his Under-19 World Cup. On T20I debut in December, one of his deliveries was clocked at 151.6kph.
There’s a lot to like about Kwena Maphaka // Getty
Form guide
Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, N: no result
Australia: WWWWWWWWLW
Australia’s clean sweep of West Indies took their record since the beginning of 2024 to an incredible 22 wins out of 26 matches, including 12 of their past 13. Two of those losses – to Afghanistan and India – ended their World Cup last year, but they have bounced back by sweeping Scotland and Pakistan 3-0, finishing 1-1 with England and most recently destroying West Indies 5-0.
South Africa: LLWLWWWLLW
The heart-breaking seven-run loss to India in last year’s T20 World Cup final was shattering for the Proteas and they’ve ramped up their schedule in the lead-in to next year’s tournament. It began with a 0-3 loss to West Indies, a 1-1 draw with Ireland, a 1-3 loss to India and a 2-0 win over Pakistan in December. South Africa have just come off a tri-series between Zimbabwe and New Zealand where they defeated Zimbabwe twice and lost to New Zealand three times.
In the final against the Kiwis, Matt Henry defended seven runs off the final over against Brevis and George Linde in a remarkable performance.
BKT Tyres T20I Series – Australia v South Africa
August 10: First T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 12: Second T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin, 7pm AEST
August 16: Third T20I, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 7pm AEST
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
South Africa T20 squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen
BKT Tyres ODI Series – Australia v South Africa
August 19: First ODI, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns, 2:30pm AEST
August 22: Second ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
August 24: Third ODI, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 2:30pm AEST
Australia ODI squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
South Africa ODI squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen