Australia suffered a 176-run defeat against South Africa in the third and final Test at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday, October 31. Chasing a target of 288, the visitors were bowled out for just 111, resulting in a 1-2 series defeat.
The loss also affected Australia’s position in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) standings. They slipped from the top spot to third place after their points percentage (PCT) dropped from 75 to 69.23.
Despite the series triumph, South Africa could only improve their PCT from 66.67 to 71.42, moving up to second place. Meanwhile, inaugural WTC champions New Zealand climbed to the top of the standings with a PCT of 72.22 after playing six Tests in the current cycle.
New Zealand will next face India in a two-match series beginning November 19. Meanwhile, Australia’s next WTC assignment will be a four-Test home series against New Zealand, followed by a tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in early 2027.
South Africa, meanwhile, will host Bangladesh and England in five Tests before travelling to Sri Lanka for a two-match series in February 2027.
Speaking at the post-series press conference, Cummins revealed that Australia had entered the Cape Town Test with strong confidence but failed to make an impact with their performances. He admitted that the team would need at least a couple of weeks to process and come to terms with the disappointing series defeat.
“I think we’re a really good side. Tough opponents away from home. It’s always really difficult. We came here very hopeful and thought we were good enough to win, but we weren’t. We’ll have a couple of weeks to digest it,” Cummins said.
“A couple of big series coming up, but we’re going back home, a place we obviously know well. But yeah, overall, relatively happy with how we’re going,” Cummins added.
