World Test Championship holders South Africa are hosting Australia in a Test series that marks the first time the two sides have met in the format since the 2018 scandal, according to Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera reported that the series in South Africa sees the reigning WTC champions act as host to an Australian team who struggled against Bangladesh ahead of the tour. The contest is notable as the first Test encounter between the two nations since the events of 2018 widely referred to as sandpapergate, adding historical context to a meeting of the current title holders and their visitors.

According to the coverage, the significance of the series rests on both competitive and historical factors. South Africa enter as holders of the World Test Championship, while Australia arrive looking to respond after a difficult recent run, in a rivalry that has not been played in Tests since that earlier scandal.

First Test meeting since 2018 scandal

Al Jazeera noted that the current series is the first Test series between the two teams since 2018, when their previous meeting was overshadowed by controversy. That earlier series has since been commonly identified with the term sandpapergate, and its memory continues to frame perceptions of the rivalry.

The fact that South Africa will host this return to Test competition gives the meeting added prominence. As the side based in the south of the africa continent prepares to host the touring party from australia, the fixture brings together a team who hold the World Test Championship title and a visiting side who must address both recent form and the broader narrative that has followed the teams since 2018.

  • Hosts: South Africa, identified by Al Jazeera as the current WTC holders
  • Visitors: Australia, who struggled against Bangladesh in recent Test matches
  • Context: First Tests between the two sides since the 2018 scandal known as sandpapergate

Australia arrive after struggles against Bangladesh

Al Jazeera reported that Australia struggled against Bangladesh prior to this tour, a factor that shapes expectations for the visitors as they face the reigning champions away from home. The coverage did not detail specific scores or individual performances, but presented the recent difficulties as relevant background to Australia's challenge in South Africa.

For the visitors, the series therefore presents more than a return to a historic rivalry. The team who travel to face the WTC holders must contend with the task of improving on recent Test outings while also operating under the scrutiny that accompanies any Australia tour of South Africa following the 2018 events.

Champions hosting a historic rivalry

The hosting arrangement underscores South Africa's current standing in the Test game. Al Jazeera identified South Africa as WTC holders, a status that frames their role as host in this series and places competitive weight on their home performances.

At the same time, the broader storyline remains the renewal of a rivalry that has been absent from the Test calendar since 2018. The coverage emphasizes that Australia battle more than memories of sandpapergate, pointing to the combination of recent on-field struggles and the historical baggage of the last Test series between the nations.

This report is based on coverage by Al Jazeera, which described the series as WTC holders South Africa hosting Australia, who struggled against Bangladesh, in Tests for the first time since the 2018 scandal.

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