South Africa captain Aiden Markram has won the toss and decided to field first against Australia in the opening T20I of the series taking place on Sunday at the Marrara Cricket Ground in Darwin. This is the first of three T20I scheduled in this series as both teams start their journey towards the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Australia (Playing XI): Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh(c), Josh Inglis(w), Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Glenn Maxwell, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
South Africa (Playing XI): Aiden Markram(c), Ryan Rickelton(w), Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Senuran Muthusamy, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Kwena Maphaka, Lungi Ngidi
Squads:
Australia Squad: Mitchell Marsh(c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis(w), Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Sean Abbott, Matthew Short, Matthew Kuhnemann
South Africa Squad: Aiden Markram(c), Ryan Rickelton(w), Rassie van der Dussen, Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, George Linde, Prenelan Subrayen, Corbin Bosch, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger, Lungi Ngidi, Senuran Muthusamy, Nqabayomzi Peter, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius
The Australia vs South Africa white-ball series is seen as a testing ground for both teams ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. With several regulars rested and new faces included, selectors are focusing on squad rotation and workload management.
