The second Test between South Africa and Australia begins on October 18 at St George’s Park in Gqeberha, with first ball at 10am local (7pm AEDT). The match runs through October 22 and is a must-win for the hosts, who trail the series after Australia’s 214-run victory in Durban.
Broadcast and live coverage
All matches in the series will be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Kayo and Fox Cricket. Fans who prefer to listen can tune in to ABC and SEN, which will both carry the series on radio. Live scores are available on the Match Centre. News and reactions after each day’s play will appear on the CA Live app, and The Unplayable Podcast will release a new episode after each day’s play. Hosts Josh Schonafinger and Louis Cameron will recap the action and talking points from South Africa, and the back catalogue of episodes is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and iHeart Radio.
Session times
Play starts at 10am local each day. The first session runs from 10am to 12pm local (7pm to 9pm AEDT), the second from 12:40pm to 2:40pm local (9:40pm to 11:40pm AEDT), and the third from 3pm to 5pm local (12am to 2am AEDT). An extra 30 minutes is available each day to complete the overs.
Full series schedule
The first Test in Durban is complete, with Australia winning by 214 runs. The second Test runs October 18-22 at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, starting at 7pm AEDT (10am local). The third Test runs October 27-31 at Newlands, Cape Town, starting at 7:30pm AEDT (10:30am local).
Team news: South Africa
South Africa have made just one change to their large squad from the first Test. Tristan Stubbs has been dropped after one match, with Matthew Breetzke coming in. Breetzke, who scored a century against Australia in the ODI series in Durban, looks all but certain to add to his two Tests. Kyle Verreynne will hand over the gloves to Ryan Rickelton. Tony de Zorzi remains unavailable with a hamstring strain. All the bowlers have been retained, and Kagiso Rabada is firming for a return.
Rabada is expected to be fit for the must-win Test, which would be a major boost for the home side. Although Anrich Nortje delivered some hostile spells and some excellent deliveries, he is the logical candidate to make way after a heavy workload in his first red-ball match in over three years. Verreynne will sit on the bench because Rickelton has been named wicketkeeper. With Verreynne and Stubbs both out of the top seven, Marques Ackerman and Breetzke are expected to fill the vacant spots. Ackerman, a 30-year-old top-order batter, has dominated domestic cricket for the past few seasons and recently scored a double century for South Africa A.
South Africa’s decision to pick two spinners was the big talking point before the first Test, and it backfired. Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj were both largely ineffective. Harmer could be the one to make way if the hosts retain Nortje or select another seamer, with Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson all in the squad.
Team news: Australia
Australia’s first-Test victory came after they were reduced to 6-124 in the first innings, but they dominated from that point on. Every player outside the locked-in side contributed runs. Nic Maddinson hit 48 and Beau Webster made an unbeaten 39 in the second innings, while Matt Renshaw dominated with 190 and 82.
Josh Inglis returns to the squad after briefly going home to Perth with a broken finger, and he appears to be ticking all the boxes on his road to full fitness. Cameron Green is the major watch as he recovers from an abdominal strain, and he is racing the clock to be fit for the second Test. Both players will push their cases, but an unchanged lineup is the safe assumption, especially with Green not yet at full capacity.
Possible XIs
South Africa (possible): Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, David Bedingham, Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Gerald Coetzee.
Australia (possible): Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Renshaw, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
Players to watch
Kagiso Rabada is the South African spearhead and should return to the XI. His inclusion will give the Proteas attack a much-needed spark, and he won’t be afraid to get into the face of his opponents. His Test strike rate is phenomenal, taking a wicket every 39.5 balls, and it has been even lower over the past four years at 36.6. He also has a sensational record against Australia, with 58 wickets at 21.39, including nine wickets (match figures of 9-110) in the World Test Championship final last year.
Alex Carey took another classic catch in Durban, a one-handed grab off Josh Hazlewood that broke a crucial partnership in the final innings. He has enjoyed brilliant form with the bat over the past 24 months, but he has now gone nine Test innings without passing 30. He will be as desperate as anyone to spend time in the middle.
Local knowledge
St George’s Park has been the most spin-friendly Test venue in South Africa since the Covid pandemic, with spinners taking 40 wickets at 22.77 compared with pace’s 35 wickets at 34.17. This match, however, is uncharted territory for the venue. It is the earliest Test cricket has been played in the summer in Gqeberha, and the first Test played here between mid-April and mid-November. Over the past decade of first-class cricket between September and November, pace bowlers have averaged a wicket every 26.94 runs, compared with 32.05 for spin.
Australia have had mixed results at the ground, with three wins and four losses from their seven Tests. The Proteas hold a two-match winning streak over the Aussies here, with a 231-run win in 2014 followed by a six-wicket win in 2018.
Form guide and World Test Championship
The loss in Durban was the first under Temba Bavuma‘s captaincy and only the second defeat in the past 10 Tests for the World Test champions. Australia improved their record to wins from 11 since the WTC final in 2025 with a big win in Durban.
The series is no longer 1-1 in the standings, as South Africa’s first-Test loss dropped them below New Zealand into third place on the table. Although South Africa lost a Test to Pakistan, their 2-0 win over India has put them in a strong position to qualify for the 2027 final, with plenty of home Tests still to come. Australia need to keep banking wins. Although they have started strongly, a few dropped games against South Africa, New Zealand or India would see them slide down the rankings.
Squads for the second Test
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (c), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Gerald Coetzee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Kyle Verreynne.
Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Sam Harper, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.