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Margaret Hamilton, Who Wrote the Apollo Flight Software, Dies at 90Historian Finds Likely Inspiration for Oliver Twist in Punished Hendon PauperApple Sets Oct. 13 Home Event; HomePad, New HomePod mini and Apple TV ExpectedLei Feng Net Publishes Final Three Layers of Cross-Domain Migration Governance CodeGoogle Research's RRSI Lets LLM Agents Rewrite Their Own Harness, MarkTechPost Tutorial ShowsSK Chairman Vows to Speed Up New Semiconductor Cluster in Southwest Korea
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South Africa vs Australia First Test Begins October 9 as Australia Returns After Eight Years

The first Test between South Africa and Australia is scheduled for October 9-13, Australia's first five-day match in South Africa in eight years. Coverage is split across Sky Sports, Willow TV, FanCode and Kayo Sports, with no dedicated free live stream.

AI News Feed · 2026-10-09 16:20

The tourists' last Test in South Africa remains tied to the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, when then captain Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft used sandpaper to rough up the ball. Smith is the only member of that trio still in the Australia setup, and TechRadar said the 37-year-old batter, who received a 12-month ban for his role, will cop for some stick.

Marnus Labuschagne, who was born in South Africa, scored his first century in any form of cricket for a year in a warmup game against a Cricket South Africa Invitation XI. According to TechRadar, that should be enough to keep his place at first drop despite not having made a Test century since the 2023 Ashes. Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Matt Renshaw should all feature for Pat Cummins' side, but Cameron Green will miss out with an abdominal strain. Nic Maddinson or Cooper Connolly is the likely replacement for Green, though Maddinson has not played first-class cricket in 19 months.

South Africa enters the series after dominating much of the recent one-day international series between the sides. Temba Bavuma will again lead the team, and Marques Ackerman is expected to make his debut at No.3 against Australia's attack. Kagiso Rabada has bowled in an intra-squad match, and a late decision will be made on whether the fast bowler is fit. Anrich Nortje returns to the side, while Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj, who spun India into defeat last November, will look to put pressure on an Australian batting lineup that has faltered in recent series.

For viewers, TechRadar reported that there are no dedicated free live streams for the first Test. In Australia, Kayo Sports is showing the series in full and offers a seven-day free trial. In the United States, Willow TV will broadcast the match; viewers without a cable package can watch Willow coverage through Sling TV's Desi Binge Plus or Dakshin Flex plans, starting from $10 per month.

In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports is showing the first Test on Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Main Event. Sky Sports plans start from £35 per month, or £24 for existing Sky subscribers, while a Now Sports subscription costs from £14.99 per day or £34.99 per month. In India, FanCode's app and website will carry the match, with a monthly subscription costing ₹199 and a standalone pass for Australia's tour of South Africa available for less.

TechRadar also noted that viewers outside their home country may need a VPN such as NordVPN to access their usual streaming service and avoid geo-blocking. TechRadar said NordVPN is its top VPN choice and is currently offered at up to 75% off.