South Africa start the home stretch of their mission to qualify for the 2027 World Test Championship Final with a three-match Test series against Australia, the team that they beat to win the 2025 edition, at home in October. Captain Temba Bavuma has admitted that, as defending champions, South Africa will be facing teams with an extra motivation to beat them but the Proteas will have to live up to that pressure.

The series against Australia will be the first involving more than two Tests for South Africa since their 2022/23 series Down Under. Since winning the 2025 WTC Final, South Africa are yet to lose a series. They whitewashed Pakistan and Zimbabwe at home and then managed to draw a two-Test series in Pakistan. This was followed by a historic 2-0 series win in India.

“There is a target on our backs, if I could say it that way,” Bavuma told South Africa’s Times Live. “Teams that are going to play against South Africa now will want to test their mettle against us as the No 1 team. If there is pressure, it is about us living up to that and being able to absorb pressure.”

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“There is a lot more foundational work that has gone on with the team, and I don’t believe it will change us. We know what we want to achieve; a lot of that identity has been set. It is just a case of finding a way to exceed the standards that we have set for ourselves in the past. We walk around proudly as Test Championship champions. Being in the changeroom, I don’t see guys scared when we talk about that,” Bavuma said.

The series against Australia kickstarts a home Test season for South Africa in which they later host Bangladesh for two Test matches and England for three.