Australia Women’s historic first bilateral tour of South Africa has been pushed back by one week, with the seven-match multi-format series now scheduled for March 24 to April 18, 2027, following changes to the international women’s cricket calendar.
The revised itinerary, confirmed by Cricket South Africa (CSA), features three T20 Internationals, three One-Day Internationals and a four-day Test across seven South African venues.
The adjustment follows the rescheduling of the inaugural ICC Women’s Champions Trophy, which will take place in India from February 14 to 28, 2027, bringing together six of the world’s leading women’s teams.
While the South Africa tour will begin later than originally planned, its significance remains unchanged. Australia will undertake their first bilateral women’s tour of the country, culminating in the first women’s Test match to be staged at Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium in KuGompo City.
Women’s Champions Trophy triggers wider calendar reshuffle
The decision to stage the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy in February, rather than its previously planned June window, has required adjustments to Australia’s international commitments.
The six-team T20 tournament will feature Australia, South Africa, India, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, with matches scheduled in Mumbai and Vadodara. The top two teams from the round-robin stage will contest the final on February 28.
The shift has also affected Australia’s home schedule against New Zealand. The T20I series was brought forward, while the ODI fixtures were moved into the opening part of March, leaving less room for the originally planned South Africa tour dates.
Australia and South Africa will now have a longer interval between the Champions Trophy and their bilateral series, which begins in Kimberley on March 24.
The scheduling changes illustrate the growing complexity of the women’s international calendar as additional ICC tournaments are introduced alongside established bilateral series and domestic competitions.
Cricket South Africa Chief Executive Officer Pholetsi Moseki said, “We are very appreciative of the work put in by both Cricket South Africa and Cricket Australia to ensure the tour’s new dates were confirmed following the scheduling of the ICC Women’s Champions Trophy.”
Historic women’s Test moved to KuGompo City
The tour’s centrepiece will be the four-day Test at Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium from April 15 to 18.
The venue, located in KuGompo City, also known as East London, will host a women’s Test for the first time. The match had previously been scheduled for Potchefstroom before the revised arrangements were finalised.
It will also be the first women’s Test between Australia and South Africa on South African soil.
The countries have met only once before in the format, at Perth’s WACA Ground in February 2024, when Australia secured an innings victory.
For Australia, the fixture represents another opportunity to play red-ball cricket after their Test victory over India in Perth in March 2026. No women’s Test is scheduled during Australia’s 2026–27 home summer, although the team is also due to tour England for a multi-format Ashes series in 2027.
The addition of a new Test venue is particularly significant for South Africa, giving the country’s women’s programme an opportunity to stage a high-profile international fixture outside the more frequently used major cricket centres.
Moseki said, “Hosting a heralded team like Australia will always be a special occasion, let alone doing so for the first time.”
ODI series carries 2029 Women’s World Cup qualification points
Beyond the historic Test, the three ODIs will have direct implications for the ICC Women’s Championship 2026–2029, which forms part of the qualification pathway for the 2029 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup.
The 50-over series begins at Kingsmead in Durban on April 3, before moving to Boland Park in Paarl on April 7 and St George’s Park in Gqeberha on April 10.
The Durban fixture will also serve as the sixth edition of South Africa’s Black Day ODI, an initiative designed to raise awareness of gender-based violence in the country.
By incorporating the campaign into a match against Australia, Cricket South Africa will bring the initiative to a prominent international fixture while continuing its broader social-awareness programme.
Australia have previously played at the Paarl and Gqeberha venues during the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, while Durban will be a new international venue for the touring side.
Seven venues to host Australia’s first bilateral tour
The revised itinerary will take international women’s cricket to seven locations across South Africa.
The three T20Is will be played at Kimberley Oval on March 24, Willowmoore Park in Benoni on March 27 and NWC Oval in Potchefstroom on March 30.
Australia have not previously played at any of those three venues, adding another dimension to a tour that will introduce the visiting side to several unfamiliar grounds.
The decision to distribute the fixtures across multiple cities also provides supporters in different regions with opportunities to attend matches involving two of the leading teams in women’s international cricket.
Cape Town’s Newlands Cricket Ground, where Australia won the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, is not included in the revised schedule.
South Africa’s 2026–27 home season will also feature a visit by India, with three ODIs and a Test scheduled for December, placing the Australia series within a broader programme of major women’s international fixtures.
Australia Women’s tour of South Africa 2027: Full revised schedule
All match times are local South African time.
T20I series
1st T20I – March 24, 2027: Kimberley Oval, Kimberley – 6pm
2nd T20I – March 27, 2027: Willowmoore Park, Benoni – 2pm
3rd T20I – March 30, 2027: NWC Oval, Potchefstroom – 6pm
ODI series
1st ODI – April 3, 2027: Kingsmead, Durban – 2pm (Black Day ODI)
2nd ODI – April 7, 2027: Boland Park, Paarl – 2pm
3rd ODI – April 10, 2027: St George’s Park, Gqeberha – 2pm
One-off Test
April 15–18, 2027: Buffalo Park Cricket Stadium, KuGompo City – 10am daily
Tickets for all seven matches are available through Cricket South Africa.
With the Champions Trophy now occupying February, the rescheduled tour will provide Australia and South Africa with a substantial bilateral programme across all three formats, while bringing women’s Test cricket to a new South African venue and contributing to the qualification cycle for the next ODI World Cup.
