Australia Test and ODI captain Pat Cummins has acknowledged that his side may encounter 'a little bit of hostility' when they travel to South Africa for their first red-ball series since the Sandpaper gate scandal of 2018. Speaking on the Keepin' it Cricket podcast, Cummins struck a measured tone — confident but candid — about the reception awaiting the touring party.

The Tour in Context

Australia are scheduled to play three ODIs and three Tests in South Africa, with the Test series kicking off on 9 October. While the Australians have made white-ball visits to South Africa since 2018, this marks their first Test tour to the country in over seven years — a trip loaded with historical baggage.

Cummins is currently with the squad in Zimbabwe for a tri-series of ODIs and will join the group in South Africa ahead of the one-day leg before the Tests begin. Six members of the current Australian squad were part of the team that suffered a 1-3 series defeat to the Proteas in that ill-fated 2018 tour.

Cummins Puts Crowd Noise in Perspective

Despite the anticipation of a charged atmosphere, Cummins appeared unfazed, drawing comparisons with the notoriously raucous Ashes crowds in England. 'There might be a little bit of hostility,' he admitted, before adding: '(But) it can't be louder than an Ashes series … Birmingham, the Hollies Stand at Edgbaston, that gets pretty rowdy.'

Reflecting on his own time in South Africa, Cummins noted that crowd hostility was nothing new. 'As long as I've been to South Africa, there are some parts of the crowd that get stuck in, but I reckon we've seen it all before,' he said. He also offered a characteristically wry remark about his own vantage point: 'Most importantly, I'm captain, so I'm in the middle; I'm not near the fence!'

Sandpaper Gate: The Shadow That Lingers

The 2018 ball-tampering incident in Cape Town remains one of the darkest chapters in Australian cricket history. Then-captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner each received 12-month bans, while opening batsman Cameron Bancroft — the player caught on camera using sandpaper — was suspended for nine months. The episode triggered widespread fallout, culminating in national soul-searching and an independent review of Australian cricket culture.

Cummins, who was a standout performer in that 2018 series on the field rather than a participant in the off-field controversy, believes the dust has largely settled. 'It (Sandpapergate) was kind of really spoken up (in past series), and it was almost a bit underwhelming,' he said of the crowd's reaction on subsequent visits. 'Everyone moves on. The good thing is, three Tests, you get stuck into the cricket, and everyone just worries about the cricket pretty quickly.'

He acknowledged that some media attention on the history is inevitable, but was emphatic about his squad's collective mindset: 'I'm sure there'll be some rowdy people in the crowd, and some articles or some media bring up stuff. But our group's moved on.'

Cummins on the Bangladesh Shock at Home

Cummins also addressed Australia's recent home series defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin — the first time Australia had lost to Bangladesh on home soil. He firmly dismissed suggestions that inadequate preparation was to blame. 'Whether that was an Ashes Test or a Bangladesh series, I think we would have prepped exactly the same,' he said. 'I actually thought we were in a really good spot; everyone fit, firing.'

He instead credited Bangladesh's performance and acknowledged his team fell below their own standards. 'I just don't think we played very well. I don't think it was a lack of prep. I just don't think we were at our best, and Bangladesh played brilliantly, and didn't really let us in,' Cummins added. The result adds an extra layer of scrutiny to Australia's form as they head into a demanding multi-format tour of the African continent.