Live: Aussies make long-awaited return to South Africa for Test series

Australia is set to play its first Test on South African shores since the 2018 Sandpapergate scandal threw the sport into chaos.Fri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:29pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:29pmLive: South Africa vs Australia — first Test in DurbanFri 9 Oct 2026 at 6:02pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 6:02pmAustralia wins the toss and will batAustralia captain Pat Cummins reveals Nic Maddinson has earned the call-up for his first Test since 2016."He's really settled with where his game's at. He's shown good form. No-one in Australia's had a lot of cricket the last six months but we feel like he's really well placed."South Africa captain Temba Bavuma says he would have batted first too.Fri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:56pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:56pmToss and teams imminentPossibly silly question but when should we expect the toss to happen?- LachlanNot a silly question at all, Lachlan.It should be in just a few minutes, at 6pm AEDT.And that's when we'll find out the Australia XI.Fri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:54pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:54pmEverything but sandpaperEven without the sandpaper, the 2018 Test tour of South Africa was a wild series.Simon Smale dove deep into it ahead of this game.Fri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:47pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:47pmWho is going to play today?Australia and South Africa. Duh.But who will be in the Australian XI?Marnus Labuschagne in the nets. (Getty)Again, we know some of the players who are locked into the line-up, including Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey and Travis Head. There are a few more very likelies, such as Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Matt Renshaw and Beau Webster.But the mathematically gifted among you will have noticed that's only nine names.Unless the Aussies are completely reshuffling the batting line-up, expect to see Head and Renshaw opening with Marnus Labuschagne getting another chance at number three followed by Steve Smith. But what about number five?Nic Maddinson. (Getty)It seemed to be a battle between young Cooper Connolly and old Nic Maddinson. Connolly got a go in the West Indies last year, without much success, while Maddinson had a crack in three 2016 Tests and has had a long journey to get back in the squad aged 34.One of them will surely be picked today, but we wait to see who.Cooper Connolly. (Getty)Fri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:25pmFri 9 Oct 2026 at 5:25pmIt's cricket season all of a suddenHello and welcome to ABC Sport's live coverage of Australia's men's team's 2026 Test tour of South Africa.The on-field action is hotly anticipated after eight years of no Tests between these great rivals on these shores, and it all kicks off at Kingsmead in Durban in an hour's time.Simon Smale and I will be your guides through play, so let's get straight into it.Leave us your thoughts in that comment box above as we go late into the night and into the early hours of the morning!