Former Australia fast bowler and commentator Trent Copeland has said the contest between the two pace attacks will have a major bearing on the three-Test series between Australia and South Africa, which begins on October 9, 2026, at Kingsmead in Durban.
Copeland, who played for New South Wales and Australia, provided his assessment of both sides ahead of the series opener. Australia are chasing their first series win in South Africa since March 2014, and the tour carries added weight after they lost the World Test Championship Final to South Africa last year. Copeland pointed to the challenge Australia face in getting their batting unit to function consistently.
“One of the things this Australian group would have been hoping they’d done by now is have the top six functioning highly, and it’s fair to say that has not been the case. When you talk about that task they have ahead of them, I think they will be fearful that they haven’t got to the spot they needed to get to to be confident that they won’t be torn apart,” Copeland said, as quoted by The West Australian.
Why does Copeland rate Australia’s pace combination so highly?
Australia arrived in South Africa having defeated Bangladesh in their most recent Test series, with Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins taking wickets at high rates and Josh Hazlewood returning from injury. In the warm-up match against a South Africa XI in Potchefstroom, Starc finished with figures of 0 for 18 from nine overs, Hazlewood took 1 for 17, Cummins 1 for 31 and Nathan Lyon 1 for 31. Copeland highlighted the variety within Australia’s pace group as a key strength. He added that Cummins provides additional flexibility across different roles.
“The mix of the four of them with right-arm off spin, left-arm raw pace and height, as well as Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins as right-arm new-ball accuracy (is hard to face). And at any point, if any opening bowler goes down, we’ve got the option of the Chameleon in Pat Cummins that can play any role you need. “So, what sets this group apart is the unique nature of no flow of an innings for a batter for a stretch of 30 minutes or more, is feeling like ‘I’ve got the grasp here, I’ve got the pace of the wicket, I’ve got this’. You’ve always got different challenges coming your way.” Copeland said.
Copeland also addressed the position of Lyon, who is 37 years old and made a rusty return from a calf injury against Bangladesh on a flat track before showing improvement in the second Test in Mackay.
“Having watched from first slip and played with him a lot for New South Wales, I firmly believe (in Nathan Lyon). But one thing that is fact is that he is closer to the end of his career than the start and that’s nothing to do with Nathan. That’s more about what we’re doing next. And that might be a 12-month thing, or it might be in three years. Gaz, I’m sure, would love to play as long as he can. My view is that Lyon, and anyone else who plays cricket for Australia, is always under pressure. If you’re asking me (about his replacement), is it Matt Kuhnemann? Is it Todd Murphy? Is it Tanveer Sangha? Is it someone else in domestic cricket who hasn’t done it yet? Corey Rocchiccioli is that guy I’d consider as the equivalent to Fergus O’Neill in a Sheffield Shield dominator aspect. So there are options there that we can turn to, but they’re all untested, but of course they are. So can we honestly say we know who’s going to be next? Probably not, but that’s fine. It’s not something to be fearful of,” he said.
How strong is South Africa’s pace attack for this series?
South Africa named a preliminary squad of 18 players for the series on September 28, 2026, with Temba Bavuma named as captain. The squad includes pace bowlers Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson and Wiaan Mulder, all of whom are capable of bowling above 130 km/h.
Kagiso Rabada was included in the squad despite recovering from a hamstring injury sustained during winter training. His availability for the opening Test is to be assessed during an intra-squad match. Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka were all left out of the squad due to hamstring injuries of their own. Copeland acknowledged the depth in South Africa’s pace resources.
“To be fair to South Africa, when Kagiso is up and firing along with Ngidi and Jansen (they are fearsome). But there’s also Coetzee, Nortje and several players as well as their all-rounders, they’re in a really good spot to be honest,” he said.
