The Cape Town Test That Healed The South Africa-Australia Cricket Rivalry

There might have been nerves running through the veins of Australian cricketer, Steve Smith when the team’s tour of South Africa was announced for 2026.

Flashbacks of March 2018 at Newlands Stadium surely rushed back, a day he would love to forget.

It was day three of a five-day Test against South Africa. Nestled below the vertiginous Table Mountain, a scandal was exposed on national television for the world to witness as the camera panned to batsman, Cameron Bancroft using sandpaper to rough up the ball, to find the bowlers more swing.

The camera fixated on Bancroft as he attempted to hide the evidence in his trousers, but it was too late. As Captain, Smith was considered responsible and received, alongside vice-captain David Warner, a 12-month ban, alongside Bancroft’s nine months. It goes down as one of the darkest days in the history of cricket.

Following the intense global scrutiny that, in some ways, still haunts them today, eight years later, the opportunity to close the page on a dark chapter arose.

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During Test 3 of Australia’s recent tour of South Africa, bowler Mitchell Starc, who was playing that day in 2018, ran into the crease to deliver the first ball in Cape Town, as the series hung in the balance at 1-1.

Following two enthralling Tests, with knockout blows from each side, Cape Town was set up for a winner-takes-all duel. The series had already delivered a catalogue of highlight moments, so hopes were high for another world-class showcase.

After all, the International Cricket Council (ICC) had these two teams down as number one and two on the Test rankings, and the victor would have the added bonus of claiming the top spot. Meanwhile, between the two sides were the world’s number one and number two bowlers, complemented by three of the top five batters. Talent was on full display.

Adding more spice to the occasion was that it had been just over a year since South Africa edged Australia at the home of cricket—Lord’s Cricket Ground in London–to lift the World Test Championship trophy.

The last-minute injury and omission of Smith in Newlands was a sad outcome. As a fan, one would like to watch the best, and while his story has an element of debate, when all is said and done, Smith will go down as one of the best to have ever picked up a bat.

South Africa looked to be in control for the best part of day one as opening batsmen, Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman notched a 158-run partnership. A moment of carelessness from Ackerman, five runs off his first international Test century, saw Josh Hazlewood, who also featured in 2018, take the first wicket.

The ship remained steady until Markram’s dismissal at 78, and 203 in the match. Up stepped captain, Temba Bavuma, reeling from a 179 in his previous innings in Gqeberha, only to be sent packing for a duck. Suddenly, South Africa, previously on course to exceed well over 400, fell from 3-204 to 6-232.

A captivating Marco Jansen half-century kept their run tally ticking, until a Starc masterclass rounded up the remaining order with four wickets in nine balls to conclude the day.

Australia saw South Africa’s 329 and raised it to 429 in their first innings as Josh Inglis rose his bat for a memorable Test century. If fans were hoping for a heavyweight showdown, they were certainly getting it.

Speaking on the intensity of South Africa’s bowling attack, Matt Renshaw, who scored a series-high total of 369, including a 190 in the first Test in Durban, tells FORBES AFRICA at the post-match press conference on day two: “When you have Jansen bowling an over, and then Rabada comes on, and then Harmer…you know there’s a big contest. It’s been a feisty one.”

After losing three wickets before 100, Bavuma’s side bounced back to reach 387 on day four. Ryan Rickelton and Wiaan Mulder joined at the crease at 181-5, and their partnership remained intact until 335, with both players reaching potentially game-defining centuries.

As day five dawned, Australia found themselves chasing 288 to win the series—South Africa needed 10 wickets. Judging by the previous scores, anything under 300 was well within reach, and you’d imagine it was Renshaw’s side who the bookies favored.

That was until fast-paced bowler Kagiso Rabada extracted two wickets in the opening over, before sending Travis Head to the stands some five overs later. It wasn’t long until the visitors collapsed to 6-42, before spin-bowler, Simon Harmer put the final nails in the coffin.

Each of the last six wickets fell Harmer’s way, as all the travelling Australian contingent could do was watch and pray as their side fell to 9-107. They would manage just four more runs before South Africa completed the series comeback, winning by 176 runs.

With momentum constantly shifting over those five glorious days, memories of ‘Sandpaper Gate’ vanished under the spell of pandemonium. Ebbs and flows were prevalent across the entire Test series that many purists will have down as one of the most exciting long-format watches in recent memory.

Asked if this could be looked back on as a golden era in the South Africa-Australia rivalry, Harmer shares with FORBES AFRICA: “The way this Test series has unfolded has been a great advert for Test cricket…I think in recent history it’s been the most closely contested. There’s been everything: turnarounds, 100s, partnerships, fifers…in the years to come there will be chat about this series.”