The last time an international match was played in Darwin was back in 2008, when Mohammad Ashraful led Bangladesh against Australia. Since then, the city’s name had almost disappeared from the global cricket map. But after a long 17-year wait, international cricket is finally returning to Marrara Cricket Ground. The upcoming Australian summer will kick off with a series against South Africa at this very venue.
News of Darwin’s international cricket return had already surfaced in the media a few days ago, and on Sunday, Cricket Australia officially confirmed it while announcing the schedule for the upcoming summer.
Due to a packed calendar, the Australian cricket season will begin earlier than usual this time. As a result, Darwin, Cairns, and Mackay have been chosen as venues for the South Africa series—grounds that don’t usually host regular fixtures in the Australian summer.
Bangladesh’s last visit to Australia in 2008 also took place before the official start of the Australian season. Under Michael Clarke’s captaincy, Australia hosted Ashraful’s Bangladesh team for a three-match ODI series in Darwin—Bangladesh’s last bilateral series in the country to date.
Even in 2003, Bangladesh played in Australia outside the regular season. Back then, the team played one Test and one ODI in Darwin, followed by one Test and two ODIs in Cairns.
Now, South Africa will play at those very same venues. The three-match T20I series will begin with two games in Darwin, followed by the final match in Cairns. The ODI series will then kick off in Cairns before shifting to Mackay, a city in Queensland.
Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena previously hosted a men’s international match during the 1992 World Cup, when India faced Sri Lanka. However, that game was washed out after just two balls. Since then, no men’s international matches have been played at the venue. While women’s cricket and ‘A’ team matches have taken place there, this will be the first time Australia’s senior men’s team plays in Mackay.
The series against South Africa will begin on August 10, just two weeks after Australia’s return from their West Indies tour.
Bangladesh’s next bilateral series in Australia is also set to take place in the Northern Territory. Originally scheduled for March 2027 in the main venues, the series has been moved up to August 2026 due to a special Test match between Australia and England marking 150 years of Test cricket.
Meanwhile, India, who played a full five-match Border-Gavaskar Test series last season, will return to Australia for limited-overs cricket this time. A three-match ODI series begins in Perth on October 19, followed by a five-match T20I series starting on October 29.
Earlier in October, Australia will travel across the Tasman Sea to play a short three-match T20I series against New Zealand.
After the limited-overs series against India, the biggest attraction of the season will be The Ashes. The five-match series, whose schedule was announced earlier, is set to begin in Perth on November 19. This historic rivalry between Australia and England has spanned nearly 150 years.
Additionally, Australia’s ‘A’ team is expected to have a busy season, with their schedule set to be announced later.
