THERE are big series and then there are ‘Big’ series. South Africa, noses pressed against the glass, seldom get the latter. But in this WTC cycle, they play all three of the high-profile teams.
They have already beaten India in India, and will now host Australia and later England in what promises to be a bumper summer that could prove career-defining for several South Africa players, including captain Temba Bavuma.
A South Africa-Australia clash is the biggest outside the Big Three and, you could argue, more competitive. It is characterised by hostile bowling, gritty batting, big personalities, and the ability to win away from home. In the last 20 years, the two sides have played nine series against each other, with a 4-4 result margin. South Africa have won three away series and one at home, while Australia have won two each home and away; the 2011-12 series in South Africa was drawn. Their most recent meeting was in the 2025 WTC final, which South Africa won. Naturally, they can’t wait for more.
“When you play against Australia, you don’t just play against those individuals, you play against what it means to be Australian,” Bavuma says. “It’s always a clash we look forward to. It tends to at least bring out the competitive edge of both teams. We have a strong desire to get the better of them.
“We give them a lot of respect but we also take confidence in that we’ve been able to get the better of them. The respect lies in the fact that they’ve been very dominant over the years. On the field itself, there will be massive moments and massive clashes. Their batting attack, our bowling attack, their bowling attack versus what our batting attack can do – there’s opportunities for guys to take each other on and really make the play for the team. The WTC final showed that.”
That match also showed what it means to come up against a South African team. Belittled for making it to the final without playing in any of the Big Three nations in the 2023-2025 cycle, a largely unheralded team, with only Kagiso Rabada as a bona fide superstar, overcame a first-innings deficit of 74 and an injury to Bavuma that could have been decisive to successfully chase down the second-highest total at Lord’s.