South Africa vs Australia 1st Test, Durban: Start Time, Where to Watch and Squads
South Africa and Australia open their three-Test series at Kingsmead, Durban, from Friday 9 to Tuesday 13 October 2026. Play starts at 9:30 AM local time each day: 8:30 AM UK · 1:00 PM India · 12:30 PM Pakistan · 6:30 PM Sydney and Melbourne · 8:30 PM New Zealand · 3:30 AM US Eastern · 12:30 AM US Pacific.
Temba Bavuma captains South Africa and Pat Cummins leads Australia. Cricket South Africa has named a preliminary 18 and will settle on 15 after an intra-squad match in Durban; Kagiso Rabada is included as he recovers from a hamstring injury, and batter Marques Ackerman is the only uncapped player. Australia are without wicketkeeper Josh Inglis for this Test (fractured finger), so Sam Harper and Nic Maddinson have been added; Cameron Green has an abdominal strain but Australia hope he will be fit.
The series follows the three ODIs, which South Africa won 2–1. The 2nd Test is at St George’s Park, Gqeberha (18–22 October) and the 3rd at Newlands, Cape Town (27–31 October). Match page, with the start time in your own time zone: South Africa vs Australia, 1st Test.
| Country | TV | Streaming | Status, notes & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | SuperSport Cricket ↗ | DStv Stream ↗ | ? Unverified SuperSport was named for this tour’s ODIs; we haven’t yet seen it named for the Tests. Wisden (ODIs) ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| Australia | Fox Cricket (Foxtel) ↗ | Kayo Sports ↗ | ✓ Confirmed Fox Sports: “Watch Australia’s Tour of South Africa Live & Exclusive on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports.” Fox Sports ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| UK | Sky Sports Cricket ↗ | NOW ↗ | ✓ Confirmed Sky Sports and NOW have exclusive UK rights to Cricket South Africa’s 2026/27 men’s and women’s home tours, including Australia’s three Tests and the Bangladesh and England tours (announced 23 September 2026). Sky Sports ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| USA | Willow TV ↗ | Willow by Cricbuzz ↗ | ✓ Confirmed On Willow’s own coverage list (South Africa home Tests); not a series-by-series announcement. Willow about page ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| Canada | Willow TV ↗ | Willow by Cricbuzz ↗ | ✓ Confirmed On Willow’s own coverage list (South Africa home Tests); not a series-by-series announcement. Willow about page ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| India | — | FanCode ↗ | ? Unverified FanCode was named for the ODIs, with a pass for Australia’s whole tour of South Africa; not yet confirmed for the Tests. TechRadar (ODIs) ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport ↗ | Sky Sport Now ↗ | ? Unverified Sky Sport NZ was named for this tour’s ODIs; not yet confirmed for the Tests. TechRadar (ODIs) ↗ · Checked 29 Sep 2026 |
South Africa and Australia Test squads
| Team | Squad | Changes | Status, notes & source |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa (preliminary 18) | Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne | Marques Ackerman uncapped. Rabada recovering from a hamstring injury. Baartman, Maphaka and Ngidi not considered (hamstring rehab). | ✓ Confirmed Cricket South Africa’s release of 28 September 2026, as published by SuperSport. Cricket South Africa via SuperSport, 28 Sep 2026 ↗ · Checked 2 Oct 2026 |
| Australia | Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster, Sam Harper, Nic Maddinson | Sam Harper (wicketkeeper) and Nic Maddinson added on 1 October: Josh Inglis misses the 1st Test with a fractured finger. Cameron Green has an abdominal strain. | ✓ Confirmed Cricket Australia’s own site, cricket.com.au. cricket.com.au, squad ↗ · additions, 1 Oct 2026 ↗ · Checked 2 Oct 2026 |
Questions
What time does the South Africa vs Australia 1st Test start?
9:30 AM in Durban (07:30 UTC) each day from Friday 9 October 2026: 8:30 AM in the UK, 1:00 PM in India, 6:30 PM in Sydney, and 3:30 AM US Eastern. Cricket Australia lists the same time.
Where can I watch it in the UK?
On Sky Sports Cricket and NOW. Sky’s own listings show the 1st Test on Sky Sports Cricket from 8:00 AM each day.
Where can I watch it in Australia?
On Fox Cricket and Kayo. Cricket Australia says all matches of the tour are broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket.
Who are the captains?
Temba Bavuma for South Africa and Pat Cummins for Australia.
Is Josh Inglis playing?
No. Cricket Australia says Inglis will miss the 1st Test with a fractured right finger; Sam Harper was added as reserve wicketkeeper.
Sources
- Cricket Australia, South Africa v Australia Tests 2026 fixtures ↗ — checked 2 Oct 2026
- cricket.com.au, Australia’s Test squad and tour schedule ↗ — checked 2 Oct 2026
- cricket.com.au, Maddinson and Harper added to Test squad, 1 October 2026 ↗ — checked 2 Oct 2026
- Cricket South Africa via SuperSport, preliminary squad, 28 September 2026 ↗ — checked 2 Oct 2026
- Sky Sports, cricket on Sky listings ↗ — checked 2 Oct 2026