World Cup defending champions Australia will renew their rivalry on the African continent ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup 2027, which is to be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Even though they may not have had a consistent winning record in T20Is, they have still managed to become one of the most impressive teams in the ODI and Test formats. They have been WTC finalists in the last two seasons and will also compete for the last spot in the upcoming WTC 2027 Finals.
The defending champions of the 2023 ODI World Cup will arrive in South Africa in 2027 as one of the toughest opponents. So they have revealed a schedule where they will play in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Australia returns to a red-ball series in South Africa for the first time since the sandpaper incident in 2018.
Australia renew rivalry with Zimbabwe ahead of 2027 World Cup
Australia will renew their rivalry with Chevron and have an opportunity to re-establish their white-ball credentials with a three-match ODI tour confirmed in September.
Zimbabwe has consistently proved to be a thorn in the side of Australian teams in recent times. Recently, Australia’s T20 team suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Zimbabwe in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2026. As a result, Australia suffered an embarrassing group stage exit.
The Australian 50-over team last lost to Zimbabwe in the final ODI in Townsville in September 2022. Zimbabwe stunned the Australians with a three-wicket win, ending the home series with a 2–1 defeat.
australia tour of zimbabwe 2026
- 1st ODI: 15 September, Harare Sports Club
- 2nd ODI: 18 September, Harare Sports Club
- 3rd ODI: 20 September, Harare Sports Club
Australia tour of South Africa to be held after Zimbabwe series
Just as Zimbabwe will co-host the ICC World Cup in 2027, South Africa and Namibia will also act as co-hosts of the competition. Although the schedules are still far from being announced, they could return to the same venue, Harare Sports Club, for some of the World Cup games.
After this series, three more ODI matches against South Africa will be played in Durban, Johannesburg and Potchefstroom. These series are very important in the context of next year’s ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2027.
Australia tour of South Africa 2026
- 1st ODI: 24 September, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
- 2nd ODI: 27 September, Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg
- 3rd ODI: 30 September, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom (D/N)
- Warm-up matches: 3-4 October, JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
- First Test: 9–13 October, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
- Second Test: October 18-22, St George’s Park, Gqebarha
- Third Test: 27–31 October, Newlands Cricket Ground, Cape Town
Australia’s high win percentage in recent ICC tournaments has not been reflected
Australia last won the ICC ODI World Cup in 2023, but since then, the Australian team’s record in other ICC tournaments has not been the same. In the T20 World Cup, it is a very different story. National selectors chief George Bailey also said that a lot still remains to be done.
“I think the bigger reflection is that there have been some World Cups right now where our performances in bilateral (series) have been incredibly strong, winning percentages are really high and strong performances across the board, and then that hasn’t translated into the World Cup,” Bailey told reporters on Wednesday.
“So why is that, we will continue to dig and improve and try to make it better,” he said. Australia’s last World Cup win was in 2023 where they won their sixth title, while their only T20 World Cup win came in 2021 in the UAE.
Also Read: James Anderson reveals he ‘hated every minute’ during his stint in The Hundred