Cricket / Rivalries / South Africa vs Australia (Tests)
South Africa vs Australia (Tests)
In Test cricket, South Africa and Australia have met 30 times (2005–2025). Australia lead.
The record in full
South Africa have won 12 of the 30 Tests in this dataset and Australia 15, with 3 drawn: a win rate of 40% against 50% over the 20 years from 2005 to 2025. Only 27 of the 30 produced a winner at all.
Every Test, result by result
All 30 Tests are listed below, from December 2005 to June 2025. They split South Africa 12, Australia 15, with 3 drawn. 16 were won defending a total and 11 chasing one. The last ten went South Africa 5, Australia 4.
Where the fixture is played
The 30 Tests in the list below are spread over 14 venues. Cape Town has staged 5 of these Tests (South Africa 3, Australia 2), Johannesburg has staged 4 of these Tests (South Africa 1, Australia 3), Durban has staged 3 of these Tests (South Africa 0, Australia 3), Perth has staged 3 of these Tests (South Africa 3, Australia 0) and Melbourne Cricket Ground has staged 2 of these Tests (South Africa 1, Australia 1).
The widest and the narrowest
Of the Tests listed below, the biggest win defending a total is South Africa by 492 runs at Johannesburg in March 2018, the smallest South Africa by 20 runs at Cape Town in March 2009, the most comfortable chase is South Africa by 9 wickets at Melbourne Cricket Ground in December 2008 and the tightest Australia by 2 wickets at Johannesburg in March 2006.
Leading run-scorers and wicket-takers in this fixture
Across the 30 Tests between South Africa and Australia in the ball-by-ball data (2005 to 2025), AB de Villiers has scored more runs than anyone on either side: 1,988 in 43 innings at 52.32, with a best of 169. HM Amla is next on 1,574, and MJ Clarke's 1,487 leads the Australia side. DW Steyn has taken the most wickets, 70 from 28 innings with a best of 5 in an innings.
Most runs in this fixture
| Batter | Side | Inns | Runs | Best | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB de Villiers | South Africa | 43 | 1,988 | 169 | 52.32 |
| HM Amla | South Africa | 40 | 1,574 | 196 | 41.42 |
| MJ Clarke | Australia | 27 | 1,487 | 259 | 67.59 |
| DA Warner | Australia | 27 | 1,415 | 200 | 52.41 |
| RT Ponting | Australia | 31 | 1,336 | 143 | 44.53 |
| JH Kallis | South Africa | 30 | 1,293 | 147 | 46.18 |
Most wickets in this fixture
| Bowler | Inns | Wkts | Best |
|---|---|---|---|
| DW Steyn | 28 | 70 | 5 |
| MG Johnson | 23 | 64 | 8 |
| M Morkel | 31 | 58 | 5 |
| K Rabada | 20 | 58 | 6 |
| NM Lyon | 36 | 56 | 5 |
| VD Philander | 27 | 53 | 6 |
Recent results
| Date | Format | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | test | London | South Africa by 5 wickets |
| Jan 2023 | test | Sydney | draw |
| Dec 2022 | test | Melbourne | Australia by 182 runs |
| Dec 2022 | test | Brisbane | Australia by 6 wickets |
| Mar 2018 | test | Johannesburg | South Africa by 492 runs |
| Mar 2018 | test | Cape Town | South Africa by 322 runs |
| Mar 2018 | test | Port Elizabeth | South Africa by 6 wickets |
| Mar 2018 | test | Durban | Australia by 118 runs |
| Nov 2016 | test | Adelaide Oval | Australia by 7 wickets |
| Nov 2016 | test | Hobart | South Africa by 80 runs |
| Nov 2016 | test | Perth | South Africa by 177 runs |
| Mar 2014 | test | Cape Town | Australia by 245 runs |
| Feb 2014 | test | Port Elizabeth | South Africa by 231 runs |
| Feb 2014 | test | Centurion | Australia by 281 runs |
| Nov 2012 | test | Perth | South Africa by 309 runs |
| Nov 2012 | test | Adelaide Oval | draw |
| Nov 2012 | test | Brisbane | draw |
| Nov 2011 | test | Johannesburg | Australia by 2 wickets |
| Nov 2011 | test | Cape Town | South Africa by 8 wickets |
| Mar 2009 | test | Cape Town | South Africa by 20 runs |
| Mar 2009 | test | Durban | Australia by 175 runs |
| Feb 2009 | test | Johannesburg | Australia by 162 runs |
| Jan 2009 | test | Sydney Cricket Ground | Australia by 103 runs |
| Dec 2008 | test | Melbourne Cricket Ground | South Africa by 9 wickets |
| Dec 2008 | test | Perth | South Africa by 6 wickets |
| Mar 2006 | test | Johannesburg | Australia by 2 wickets |
| Mar 2006 | test | Durban | Australia by 112 runs |
| Mar 2006 | test | Cape Town | Australia by 7 wickets |
| Jan 2006 | test | Sydney Cricket Ground | Australia by 8 wickets |
| Dec 2005 | test | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Australia by 184 runs |
Computed by the CricketLogic engine from Cricsheet ball-by-ball data. Run it yourself →