AUS vs SA 3rd Test 2026: Prediction, Squads & Where to Watch

AUS vs SA 3rd Test preview

Australia and South Africa meet in Match 3 of the Australia tour of South Africa, 2026, a five-day Test at Newlands, Cape Town. Play begins on Tuesday, 27 October 2026 at 2:00 PM IST.

According to ICC, Australia’s defeat by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha has left the three-Test series level at 1-1, with both sides fighting for a place in next year’s World Test Championship Final. ICC calls the Cape Town game a crucial Test.

Series context

The Australia tour of South Africa, 2026 began on 24 September and is scheduled to run to 27 October. The series summary lists 7 matches across the T20I and Test formats.

Australia lost in Gqeberha by an innings and 31 runs. ICC reports that captain Pat Cummins is weighing up whether to alter his side, and that he will hold off on selection decisions until the team reaches Cape Town.

Team news

ICC reports that Cummins expects Cameron Green and Josh Inglis to be available for selection. Dawn reports that Green was sidelined by injury for the first two Tests, while Inglis has been declared fit.

Cricket.com.au reports that Cummins has named Steve Smith a certain starter for the third Test, despite a neck complaint in the second Test. It also reports that Scott Boland replaced spinner Nathan Lyon in Gqeberha and took five of the nine South African wickets to fall, and that his place is now under review for Newlands.

Form guide

Results from this tour are recorded under the T20I label, and they are given here as recorded. Australia’s latest is a 214-run win over South Africa on 9 October, in which they made 390 and 314/6 against South Africa’s 284 and 206.

Before that, Australia won by 45 runs by the DLS Method on 30 September, scoring 322/9 (50 ov) against South Africa’s 145/4 (28 ov). They drew with the Cricket South Africa Invitation XI on 3 October, making 368/5 (74 ov) to the Invitation XI’s 318/7 (90 ov).

Australia lost to South Africa by 67 runs on 24 September and by 32 runs on 27 September. On 27 September South Africa made 365/9 (50 ov) and Australia replied with 333 (49.5 ov).

South Africa’s last four recorded results are those same four games against Australia: two wins and two defeats. Their result before that was a 9-wicket ODI win over Namibia on 13 September.

Head-to-head

The most recent Test-labelled meeting in the feed is the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025, which South Africa won by 5 wickets. Australia made 212 and 207, South Africa 138 and 282/5.

Before that, Australia won the December 2022 Test in Australia by an innings and 182 runs, scoring 575/8 against South Africa’s 189 and 204.

The feed records four meetings in 2026 under the T20I label, split 2-2 between the sides.

Our prediction

This looks close. Australia lost by an innings and 31 runs in Gqeberha, and Boland’s place is under review, though they may regain Green and Inglis. We lean towards South Africa by a narrow margin.