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SA v Aus - The Down-Under Tour Up Top

football06 August 2025 12:36| © MWP
By:Neil Manthorp
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Men’s international cricket returns to Australia’s Northern Territory for the first time in 17 years when the hosts play South Africa in the first of three T20 Internationals in Darwin on Sunday.

The T20I series and three-match ODI series were originally scheduled for the ‘regular’ Australian summer in the south of the country but fixture congestion meant it was moved to the north which enjoys temperatures around 28 degrees and moderate rainfall during the winter months, unlike Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

Australia have played six internationals in Darwin, although never a T20 match.

The most recent was a three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in 2008 and, before that, ODI against Bangladesh in 2003 and Sri Lanka a year later.

It's a similar story in Cairns which hosts the final T20I and the first ODI before the tour concludes with the final two ODIs in Mackay.

Australia played the Black Caps in a three-match ODI series in 2022 and before that tests and ODIs against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in 2003 and 2004.

South Africa have never played a game in the Northern Territories.

The Proteas have 16 T20 Internationals scheduled before the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka but will still have to move fast in building a squad for the tournament with a host of players either injured, retired or approaching the end of their careers.

Marco Jansen (injured) is the most obvious loss and Heinrich Klaasen will be very hard to replace; David Miller’s international future is unclear having been given permission to play in England ‘Hundred’ competition before this tour was confirmed.

What does the future hold for Anrich Nortje – and the senior spin-twins Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi?

Could debutant Prenelan Subrayen leap-frog them with a strong performance down-under (or ‘up top’)?

Left-arm quicks Kwena Maphaka and Nandre Burger also have a golden chance to push their Protea credentials.

Australia have recalled devastating opener Travis Head after missing the West Indies series with experienced fast bowler Josh Hazlewood also returning – although fellow quicks Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have been rested ahead of a typically busy Australian home summer while four players from the squad, which recently clean-swept the West Indies 5-0 in the Caribbean have been dropped – Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly and Xavier Bartlett.

The two teams played a T20I for almost two years but Australia won the last four in 2023 by whopping margins without breaking sweat:

3 Sep 2023, Durban: Australia won by five wickets

1 Sep 2023, Durban: Australia won by eight wickets

30 Aug 2023, Durban: Australia won by 111 runs

23 Oct 2021, Abu Dhabi: Australia won by five wickets (T20 World Cup)

International cricket has been crying out for ‘context’ and ‘meaning’ for years.

Too many arbitrary bilateral series were diluting the product the and fuelling spectator disinterest.

On the face of it, this tour may look like more of the same.

What’s on-the-line? Nothing, other than pride and personal ambition and, for once, that might be a good thing.

Darwin, Cairns and Mackay are rolling out their modest red-carpets.

Festivals, music, food and good cheer are planned. There’s the Barrier Reef to be visited.

There are World Cups every year these days. This may be a very rare opportunity to enjoy the cricketing life in a relatively pressure-free environment.

AUSTRALIA T20 SQUAD: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

SOUTH AFRICA T20 SQUAD: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, George Linde, Kwena Maphaka, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Nqaba Peter, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen, Rassie van der Dussen

AUSTRALIA ODI SQUAD: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

SOUTH AFRICA ODI SQUAD: Temba Bavuma (c), Corbin Bosch, Matthew Breetzke, Dewald Brevis, Nandre Burger, Tony de Zorzi, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Prenelan Subrayen

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