Australia’s women will embark on a long-awaited first bilateral tour of South Africa in early 2027
Australia’s women will play an historic Test in Potchefstroom in 2027, as part of their first-ever bilaterial tour to South Africa.
Cricket South Africa on Friday revealed their women’s international schedule for 2026-27, which will see Australia tour from March 18 through to April 11, playing three ODIs, three T20Is and one Test.
Remarkably, it will be the first bilateral series played between the teams in South Africa, after a planned tour in March 2020 was cancelled at the onset of the pandemic.
Qantas Tour of South Africa 2027
First T20I: March 18 at Diamond Oval, Kimberley, 6pm local (3am March 19 AEDT)
Second T20I: March 21 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni, 2pm (11pm AEDT)
Third T20I: March 23 at Buffalo Park, KuGompo City, 6pm (3am March 24 AEDT)
First ODI: March 27 at St George’s Park, Gqeberha, 10am (7pm AEDT)
Second ODI: March 31 at Boland Park, Paarl, 2pm (11pm AEDT)
Third ODI: April 3 at Kingsmead, Durban, 2pm (11pm AEDT)
Test: April 8-11 at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom, 10am local (6pm AEST)
The series will begin in Kimberley, with the first of three T20Is on March 18, followed by games in Benoni (March 21) and KuGompo City (March 23).
Australia have never played at any of the T20I venues, but they will return to more familiar territory for the opening two ODIs, in Gqeberha and Paarl on March 27 and 31 – grounds that hosted matches during the 2023 T20 World Cup.
The third one-dayer will be played in Durban on April 3, ahead of the Test at Potchefstroom’s JB Marks Oval from April 8-11.
Unfortunately for Australia, there will be no return to the site of their 2023 T20 World Cup triumph, with Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground left off the schedule.
Australia and South Africa’s women have only met once previously in a Test match, at the WACA Ground in February 2024.
The red-ball game will be the first multi-day match played by Australia since their win over India in Perth earlier this month, with no Test slated for the 2026-27 home summer.
It will mark a welcome return to the format in a year that will also see Australia travel to England for the multi-format Ashes.
“I’m really excited,” wicketkeeper-batter Beth Mooney said of the South African schedule, from Australia’s ongoing tour of the Caribbean.
“I haven’t toured South Africa outside of that T20 World Cup back in 2023 … I think there’ll be a lot of excitement within the group.
“South Africa have been a great team across the last few years in international cricket, and to be able to put ourselves to the test against them in the whites is amazing, we don’t get to play Tests that often.
“We’ve got a lot of fond memories from that T20 World Cup (and) it’ll be nice to see different parts of the country and really immerse ourselves in the culture over there.”
South Africa will also host ODI world champions India earlier in the 2026-27 season, with three 50-over contests and a Test match scheduled across December.
