Australia's maiden Test tour of South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering controversy gets underway with the opening match of a three-Test series in Durban on Friday, with both nations occupying the top two positions in the world rankings.
The scandal that shook international cricket unfolded during the Cape Town Test in March 2018, when Cameron Bancroft was caught on television using a piece of sandpaper to alter the ball's surface. South Africa ultimately claimed that series 3-1.
Bancroft received a nine-month suspension from Cricket Australia for his involvement. Captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, who had prior knowledge of the scheme, each faced 12-month bans. According to ESPN's investigation published on 5 October, Cricket Australia's inquiry determined that Warner was the chief architect of the plan. Additionally, all three players were required to complete 100 hours of voluntary community-cricket service, while the ICC separately suspended Smith for one Test, fined him his full match fee, and handed Bancroft a 75% match fee fine along with three demerit points.
More than six years have passed since that infamous moment. Former South Africa fast bowler Shaun Pollock reflected on the incident's immediate aftermath during an appearance on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
I wasn't on air at the time, but I can remember when it came out and the major impact that it had. We were getting messages from back home of people going, 'I can't believe this has happened'. For the next hour or two, whatever happened on the cricket field was kind of irrelevant to everything that was going on. We knew there was trouble brewing.
Australia have not returned to South Africa for a Test tour in the intervening years. A scheduled visit in early 2021 fell through due to the pandemic.
South Africa, meanwhile, secured a significant victory over Australia at Lord's last summer by winning the World Test Championship final. The Durban fixture marks the Proteas' first home Test in the 16 months since that triumph.
England will follow with their own three-Test tour beginning in December. However, Pollock believes Australia represents the more coveted scalp for South African supporters.
There's definitely something special about the Australia series. There's obviously some wonderful history between South Africa and England, and we'll thoroughly enjoy that series too - I know the Barmy Army are coming out - but I think it's Australia [if fans had to choose], to be brutally honest.
The World Test Championship win has definitely created a bigger appetite for Test cricket in South Africa. That's been a real plus for us, and I'm sure the mace will be paraded around all the venues, considering it is Australia that we play.
Pollock offered his assessment of how Australian players might be received by South African crowds, acknowledging the historical tension without predicting an overwhelmingly hostile atmosphere.
What will their reception be? I don't think it'll be overly hostile. The coverage over here, there's been quite a few replays of the [2018] series over the last few weeks, just to sort of create a bit of animosity, I suppose. But when you play against Australia, people in South Africa won't need a reason to, I don't know, write a billboard or have a go at them about some particular reason. I'm sure there'll be a few people coming dressed up in accordance with Sandpapergate. I'm sure there'll be some continual reminding of it. But I don't think it'll be over the top or too intense.
Regarding the competitive outlook, Pollock predicted South Africa would prevail 2-1 in both the Australia series and the subsequent England tour. He identified Australia's batting lineup as a particular vulnerability.
Australia's batting would be a concern for me. I watched the one-day series and they didn't play spin that well at all, and that might even tempt South Africa to play two spinners in the first Test. And there's obviously a lot of talk in circles about should Marnus [Labuschagne] be there or should this guy be there? It's not settled. Think back to the days we played, there were guys queuing up for an opportunity, and they only got a chance where there was injury. Whereas now it's a case of kind of throwing all the balls up in the air. I just think they're very unsettled. They rely massively on Steve Smith and Travis Head, in particular.
What happens next
The first Test is scheduled for 9–13 October 2026 in Durban, with live coverage beginning on Sky Sports Cricket from Friday at 7.30am, with first ball at 8.30am.
