Mitchell Starc says 'no animosity left' ahead of Australia-South Africa Durban Test
Synopsis
Eight years on from Sandpaper Gate, Mitchell Starc says the bad blood between Australia and South Africa has genuinely faded — thanks largely to franchise cricket putting rivals in the same dressing room. But with seam-friendly rain clouds over Durban and Starc's lethal 9-wicket memory at Kingsmead still fresh, the first Test on 9 October promises to be anything but friendly.
Key Takeaways
Mitchell Starc says there is 'certainly no animosity left' between Australia and South Africa ahead of the Durban Test on 9 October .
The rivalry was last inflamed during the 2018 series at Kingsmead, scarred by Sandpaper Gate and player altercations.
Franchise cricket — the IPL , The Hundred , and MLC — has brought players from both sides regularly into shared dressing rooms.
Starc previously claimed 9 wickets for 109 runs at Kingsmead on a dry pitch; recent rains in KwaZulu-Natal point to seam-friendly conditions this time.
Starc is set to lead the Australian attack in the first ODI at Kingsmead on Thursday , ahead of the Test series.
Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has declared there is 'certainly no animosity left' between Australia and South Africa as the two sides prepare for the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, beginning on 9 October — a venue that last hosted them during the turbulent 2018 series overshadowed by the Sandpaper Gate scandal and widespread player friction.
A Different Dressing Room Era
Starc attributed the thaw largely to the explosion of franchise cricket, which has regularly placed players from both nations in the same dressing rooms. Stand-in skipper Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, and Starc himself have shared teams with South African stars Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi across the IPL, The Hundred, and Major League Cricket (MLC) in recent seasons.
'I think there's certainly no animosity there. I think there's two teams quite well known to one another across the franchise (T20) world. Not just myself, but a scattering of the other guys have played with and against each other for a few years,' Starc said, according to cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
He was quick to add, however, that familiarity would not dilute competitive intent. 'I don't think that's going to detract from either team wanting to win 3-0 or really assert themselves,' he added.
The Notorious 'Castle Corner' Factor
Starc also flagged the famous crowd atmosphere at Kingsmead, particularly the vocal section known as the 'Castle Corner', with characteristic humour. 'I might have big ears, but I know how to switch them off. I do remember down at 'RSA' Corner down there — there's no responsible service (of alcohol) down there — they can get rowdy, which you expect from away tours,' he said.
Starc acknowledged the banter was part and parcel of touring, adding: 'No doubt there'll be some of that through this whole series. Whether we see it on Thursday or not, I'm not sure, but we certainly will for the Test match.'
Conditions a Far Cry from 2018
Beyond off-field relations, Starc noted that pitch conditions in Durban are set to differ significantly from his last Test appearance at the ground, where he claimed a match-winning 9 wickets for 109 runs on a dry surface offering reverse swing. Recent heavy rains and humid weather across KwaZulu-Natal point to seam-friendly conditions this time around.
'It's not that typical dry, baked-wicket part of the season just yet. So it could be interesting to see what the weather does the next couple of days,' Starc said. He noted that other members of the squad had arrived from Zimbabwe, where conditions were 'a bit warmer and drier', and flagged that forecast rain in the coming weeks adds an element of uncertainty.
'There's an element of the unknown… it's part of Test cricket and you just adapt to what's in front of you,' he concluded.
What to Watch Ahead of the Series
Before the Tests get underway, Starc is set to headline Australia's bowling attack in the first ODI at Kingsmead on Thursday. The series marks Australia's return to the venue for the first time in eight years, and both teams will be eager to lay down an early marker — whatever the weather, or the crowd, throws at them.
Point of View
But it also papers over something more structurally significant: franchise cricket has quietly redrawn the emotional map of international rivalries. When Marsh, Smith, and Starc have shared a dugout with Rickelton, Jansen, and Ngidi in the IPL or The Hundred, the tribal us-versus-them of Test cricket becomes harder to sustain at a personal level. That may actually raise the competitive stakes — both sides know each other's games intimately now, making tactical surprises rarer and execution the only differentiator. The real story at Kingsmead will not be old grudges but whether Australia's pace attack can replicate Starc's 2018 reverse-swing masterclass on what could be a very different, rain-softened surface.
NationPress
23 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Mitchell Starc say about the Australia-South Africa rivalry ahead of the Durban Test?
Starc said there is 'certainly no animosity left' between the two teams, crediting regular crossover in franchise cricket — the IPL, The Hundred, and MLC — for defusing old tensions. He added that the familiarity would not stop either team from wanting to win 3-0.
When does the first Australia vs South Africa Test in Durban start?
The first Test between Australia and South Africa begins at Kingsmead, Durban, on 9 October. An ODI at the same venue precedes the Test series, with Starc set to lead the Australian bowling attack on Thursday.
What happened during the last Australia-South Africa series at Kingsmead in 2018?
The 2018 series at Kingsmead is remembered for the Sandpaper Gate ball-tampering scandal and a series of on-field altercations between players from both sides. Starc took 9 wickets for 109 runs across the match on a dry, reverse-swing-friendly pitch.
What pitch conditions are expected for the 2026 Durban Test?
Heavy rains and humid weather in KwaZulu-Natal ahead of the series are expected to produce seam-friendly conditions, a significant contrast to the dry, baked surface Starc exploited for his 9-wicket haul in 2018. Rain is also forecast across the next couple of weeks.
How has franchise cricket changed the Australia-South Africa dynamic?
Players such as Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, and Mitchell Starc have regularly shared dressing rooms with South Africa's Ryan Rickelton, Marco Jansen, and Lungi Ngidi in the IPL, The Hundred, and Major League Cricket. Starc credited this familiarity for reducing personal tensions between the two camps.
