Scott Boland prepares to return to South Africa after a decade since his last ODI appearance

Scott Boland, 37, has been named in Australia's 16-player Test squad for the three-match series in South Africa, which begins in October 2026. The selection marks his return to South Africa for the first time since October 2016, when he played the last of his 14 ODIs in Cape Town.

Boland's only previous experience in South Africa came during the 2016 ODI tour, where Australia fielded an inexperienced bowling attack and lost the series 5-0. He played three matches in that series, taking 5 wickets at an average of 34.20 and an economy rate of 6.33.

"To be fair, I know on field we didn't go that well. We had a really inexperienced bowling attack. But apart from that, I can't remember anything. I don't remember where we were. I don't know if I've just binned that memory because it didn't go well. But I feel like ten years ago was a long time," Boland said, as quoted by Cricinfo.

After that 2016 tour, Boland did not play another white-ball international for Australia and went five years without international cricket before making his Test debut on December 26, 2021. He has since become a key member of Australia's Test setup, taking a hat-trick at Sabina Park in Jamaica on July 14, 2025, becoming the first Indigenous Australian to achieve that feat in Test cricket. The three-Test series is scheduled across October 2026, with matches in Gqeberha from October 18 to 22 and in Johannesburg from October 27 to 31.

How has Boland prepared for the South Africa tour?

Boland did not feature in Australia's Test series against Bangladesh in August 2026 despite completing an eight-week bowling block in the lead-up to those matches. Following that series, selectors and medical staff decided he would take a two-week rest before completing a further three-week training block. The preparation plan reflects a broader shift in how Boland approaches his cricket. He explained:

"I haven't changed too much in terms of what I do, in terms of like how I bowl. But I think the biggest change is in preparing for games, knowing my body better, getting all those little things right," Boland said.

Before flying to South Africa on Sunday, September 28, 2026, Boland will play a domestic 50-over match for Victoria against New South Wales at the Junction Oval on Friday, September 27, 2026, alongside Glenn Maxwell. It will be only his third domestic 50-over game in the last three years and his first in 18 months.

What role could Boland play in the Test series?

Australia have included Matthew Kuhnemann as a second spinner in the squad, with selectors mindful that Keshav Maharaj and Simon Harmer took 14 wickets between them in Durban in 2022. However, that Test was played on a tired surface in late March. In the most recent Test in Durban, in late November 2024, Marco Jansen took 11 wickets for the match, including 7 for 13 in the first innings, to bowl Sri Lanka out for 42.

With three Tests being played at the start of the South African season in October, there is a possibility that Australia could field a four-man pace attack featuring Boland, Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood together for the first time since they bowled West Indies out for 27 in a pink-ball game in Jamaica. Boland is unsure of how much he will play during the tour.

Boland is experienced in completing long bowling builds to prepare for Test series in which he may not ultimately feature. The structured lead-up to the South Africa tour follows the same pattern, with his domestic appearance against New South Wales serving as his final preparation before the squad departs.