International cricket returns to Darwin with South Africa’s tour of Australia

Cricket Australia has announced a couple of T20I matches against South Africa in August, marking Darwin’s return to hosting international matches after a protracted 17-year break. Although it hasn’t been disclosed yet, the schedule should be made public by the end of March. South Africa’s visit to Australia will include of six white-ball matches, including three Twenty20 Internationals and an equal number of One-Day Internationals.

A One-Day International between Australia and Bangladesh was the last international match to be played in Darwin, for those who are unaware.

The initial plan now calls for Darwin to host the Proteas for the first two T20I series matches. Conversely, Mackay has been selected for the series finale, and Cairns will host an ODI matches.

When the format returns to the site after 2008, Northern Territory Cricket CEO Gavin Dovey has remained hopeful about hosting the rainbow nation for an international match. He is also confident that if Darwin wins the games, Cricket Australia will cooperate completely.

“Our objective has been to restore international cricket to the Northern Territory since the day I arrived in 2023,” Dovey.

Our last hosting of international cricket was in 2008, which is just too long ago. He continued, “The recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy or cricket’s return to the Olympics in LA 2028 are examples of how the game has changed so much since then.

These games, if confirmed, will be historic because they are the first men’s Twenty20 Internationals to be played in the Northern Territory. Australia has hosted 27 different venues for 536 men’s and women’s matches since Darwin last hosted an international event.

The expansion of domestic 20-over competition has helped Darwin establish itself as a major player in late-winter cricket. It has also played host to Big Bash League games over the years. In particular, Australia’s two-Test series against Bangladesh is scheduled to take place in August 2026, which might make the August schedule quite significant.

“The Northern Territory and Australian cricket both stand to gain greatly from our fantastic winter cricket window,” the CEO stated.

“The NT Government understands the economic and social benefits of hosting world-class cricket players, and Cricket Australia is eager to explore that potential. With any luck, we can pull this off and begin Australia’s international summer in Darwin,” Dovey said.