Australia vs South Africa 2026; Steve Smith returns to Cape Town, the questions Steve Smith has faced on his return to South Africa, news, analysis, feature

Steve Smith is preparing to return to Newlands in Cape Town for the first time since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal, as Australia continues its 2026 Test tour against South Africa. The 37-year-old batsman has endured a challenging series so far, managing just 83 runs at an average of 20.75 across four innings while battling a neck injury and a blow to the helmet in earlier matches.

Despite his quiet form and light training duties leading into the fixture, teammates Travis Head and Alex Carey expressed full confidence that Smith is fit and prepared for the anticipated Cape Town reception. Smith also achieved a major milestone during the tour by surpassing 11,000 career Test runs and setting a world record for non-wicketkeeper catches.