Out with the West Indies, and in with South Africa as Australia heads back into the Test arena less than a week after completing a series whitewash against the island nations.
The Proteas will represent a massive step-up in class for Australia with their much-vaunted pace quartet out to keep South Africa’s winning record down under alive.
Australia will still start the series as favourites, hoping to take another major step towards a spot in the final of the World Test Championship.
The elephant in the room, however, is how Australia will handle any lingering tensions from Sandpapergate, with this the first Test series between the two nations since the ill-fated 2018 tour.
These are the burning questions ahead of Saturday’s first Test at the Gabba (11.20am AEDT).
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IS SANDPAPERGATE REALLY NOT GOING TO PLAY A ROLE?
Nearly five years have passed and there’s been plenty of player turnover since that fateful day in Cape Town in 2018.
It’s therefore no surprise that this week, Usman Khawaja declared that Sandpapergate is all ancient history now.
“Time heals all wounds,” he said.
“We are a very different Australian cricket team from what we were back then.
“The way we go about it, the way we play. A lot of the guys have matured as cricketers and humans. They are a bit older, a couple more kids, we play our cricket differently.”
Of course, if you’ve paid any attention to the headlines of the past two weeks, you’d know it’s not all forgotten, though.
David Warner’s wounds from the saga are clearly still open. Just last week he withdrew from a bid to have his lifetime leadership ban overturned due to what he said was an attempt at a “public lynching”. Meanwhile, wife Candice revealed that the Warner family has been offered security by Cricket Australia after being the target of “vile abuse” at Adelaide Oval in the wake of his decision.
Meanwhile, the timing of Faf du Plessis’ autobiography has brought that ill-tempered 2018 series back into sharp focus ahead of the first Test.
Last month while spruiking the book, he labelled Warner a “bully”, while this week he took aim at Steve Smith for “milking” an incident with Kagiso Rabada during that series.
Then there’s the fact that whenever Australia and South Africa meet, tempers inevitably flare up.
And South Africa’s Dean Elgar and Rabada have said in the build-up that they don’t intend on backing down.
“It‘s going to be pretty feisty,” Elgar said.
“If they want to be in your face, it’s fine. I definitely don’t shy away from that and I will be encouraging the players not to shy away from that, because I think that’s when South Africans bring out their best.”
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Rabada said: “With me, it’s always come out against Australia. It’s about not backing down to a challenge.
“If they want to come hard, you stand up to it. That’s what competition is.”
Sure, it’s extremely unlikely that this series descends into an all-out slanging match that boils over, much like the 2018 series did.
From that series, the vast majority of South Africa’s XI has changed with du Plessis, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Quinton de Kock all gone.
However, more than half of the Australian team remains, including two of the three main antagonists.
As such, it would be naive to think that the South Africans won’t try to, in some way, use Australian cricket’s darkest chapter against the hosts in some way.
There’s no denying that the ghosts of Sandpapergate will still linger over this series.
DO THE AUSSIES NEED TO WORRY ABOUT GREEN?
Runs flowed for the Australians against the West Indies — but not for Cameron Green who was on the outside looking in for much of the series.
The dominance of Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head meant that Green didn’t get to the crease until Australia had batted nearly 300 overs in the series.
When Green did finally bat well into the Adelaide Test, he struggled for nine runs off 42 balls. His last batting contribution was five runs off four balls in a session that Australia was looking to score quickly.
Green looked uncertain at the crease, almost as if he was worried about making a mistake instead of looking to score.
His dismissal spoke to that uncertainty with Green chopping on to his stumps while trying to withdraw his bat for a leave.
Green had a similar start at last summer’s Ashes when he looked at war with his technique with issues regarding his front foot.
The young all-rounder ultimately came good that summer, and former Australia captain Michael Clarke is backing him to do so again.
But only if he learns to free himself from his shackles on game day, and save all the technical considerations for the nets.
“I watched him in the last Test and you know what I think is happening at the moment? He’s so focused on his technique,” Clarke said on Sky Sports Radio.
“Certainly at the start of your career you’re watching other batters in the nets and guys making runs in the game — you’re probably looking more at your weaknesses than your strengths.
“I think at the moment he’s so focused that he’s nearly watching the ball onto his pad, or onto the stumps, he’s forgetting that you’ve got to hit it because he’s so concerned about the technical side of the game.
“He’s young, he’ll work it out … but he’s probably got to afford himself a bit more freedom and not be so hard on himself. That’s probably what it is.”
WHY IS AN EXTRA $2.4 MILLION ON THE LINE?
There’s still one trophy missing from Australia’s trophy cabinet.
The Aussies boast an unrivalled record in ICC tournaments, winning the World Cup on five occasions and the Champions Trophy twice.
The T20 World Cup title eluded Australia for more than a decade, but Aaron Finch and his comrades got the job done in the United Arab Emirates last year.
Meanwhile, the national women’s side are the reigning World Cup champions, T20 World Cup champions and Commonwealth Games gold medal recipients.
The only accolade Australia is yet to acquire is the World Test Championship, worth about $A2.4m to the winner.
Founded in 2019, New Zealand was proclaimed victors for the inaugural competition after defeating India by eight wickets at Southampton last year.
Australia narrowly missed out on a spot in the final, with India’s unforgettable Border-Gavaskar Trophy performance in 2020/21, and some tardy overrate sanctions, denying Tim Paine’s men the chance to fight for the mace.
But under the leadership of Pat Cummins and Andrew McDonald, Australia is on track to redeem themselves ahead of the 2023 World Test Championship Final at The Oval.
The Aussies are currently sitting atop the World Test Championship ladder with 108 points at a 75 per cent success rate. South Africa, meanwhile, is not far behind in second with 60 per cent.
For Australia to secure their spot in next year’s final, they’ll have to win at least three of their next seven Test matches – three at home against the Proteas and four in India.
Winning Test matches in India remains one of the most difficult challenges in world cricket, and it would take something special for Australia to snare three victories in the subcontinent.
Subsequently, Australia will be playing for a lot more than national pride over the upcoming four weeks – a whitewash would put them within touching distance of the coveted World Test Championship mace, provided there are no more dreaded overrate penalties.
The final will take place in London in June 2023, just before the Ashes.
If Australia is victorious, they’ll become the first nation in history to have won a T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup and World Test Championship.
“It felt like a big missed opportunity that first one,” Cummins told reporters earlier this month.
“It probably didn’t hit us until the game was actually played and you saw over there New Zealand did well and you wish you were there.
“So it feels like second time around it’s got a little bit more on it.”
COULD THE ‘WILD THING’ BE UNLEASHED THIS SERIES?
Australia takes to the field on Saturday for what will be its third Test in just 17 days.
It’s been a condensed schedule thus far for the Australians and there could be concerns about some bowlers’ workloads moving forward.
In Brisbane, Pat Cummins will return for Michael Neser, while Scott Boland is set to hold onto his spot as Josh Hazlewood continues to recover from a minor side strain.
That leaves Mitchell Starc as the only quick to play in every Test this summer, which also came off a lengthy run of white ball games, including the T20 World Cup.
There’s no sign of Starc breaking down but the gruelling schedule, Australia’s outstanding bowling depth, and a blockbuster tour of India in February, does open the door to the conversation about rotation.
Cummins was seemingly fit to play against the West Indies in Adelaide, but stand-in captain Smith said it was ultimately too risky in case he went down and inflicted a greater load on the other bowlers.
The upcoming India tour was also mentioned in the reasoning — so the idea of Starc sitting out a match to rest is not as far-fetched as it might seem.
Boland has locked himself in as Australia’s fourth-best fast-bowler who is set to play in Brisbane after taking three wickets in one over the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Next up is the MCG, where he took 6-7 on debut against England last summer.
It will be hard to leave him out there — even if Hazlewood is deemed fit to play by that point.
Meanwhile, Mark Waugh said on the weekend that WA speedster Lance “Wild Thing” Morris should come under consideration in Melbourne, too.
“He might play in Melbourne. I reckon he might be suited to Melbourne,” Waugh said on Fox Cricket.
“Just because of the pitch. It’s not a big swinging and seaming ground, so I think pace through the air might be useful in Melbourne.”
That would only add to the selection squeeze even further.
It is, of course, a good problem to have for the Australian selectors who will work to solve the conundrum that may not have a clear-cut answer.
One thing that could come under consideration and lead to Starc missing a Test are his numbers as red-ball series wear on.
The averages below show that there’s an undeniable trend showing that Starc’s potency weakens the longer a series goes on (pink ball Tests not included).
— First Test of series: 27.44
— Second Test: 26.57
— Third Test: 30.91
— Fourth Test: 41.52
— Fifth Test: 52.66
CAN THE PROTEAS’ BATTERS PUT UP A FIGHT?
All the talk ahead of this Test series has been about South Africa’s pace attack, and rightfully so.
The Proteas boast a pace quartet that could dismantle Australia’s talented top order in Brisbane this week, but their top seven remains cause for concern.
South Africa’s batting attack is vulnerable. Most of their squad has never played Test cricket on Australian soil, while nobody among their ranks averages more than 40 with the bat.
In comparison, everyone in Australia’s top five averages more than 44 in the Test arena.
South African Test batting averages:
38.83 – Dean Elgar
34.36 – Temba Bavuma
32.14 – Rassie van der Dussen
28.23 – Sarel Erwee
26.93 – Kyle Verreynne
19.45 – Theunis de Bruyn
19.50 – Khaya Zondo
Because the South Africans don’t have a batting all-rounder at their disposal, it’s likely that paceman Marco Jansen, who averages 22.22 in Tests, will slot in at No. 7 below wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne.
Their dilemma proves how valuable Green is for balancing Australia’s starting XI.
“We have gone with six (batters) and five (bowlers) before,” Proteas bowling coach Charl Langeveldt said recently.
“It is a big decision, but first, we will have to see the conditions at the Gabba and how much grass they leave on it. It is a hard one. You are always looking for an extra batter.
“Runs on the board are also important. At the moment, we don’t have that batter who can bowl us a few overs, whereas Australia have Green, and that makes a difference.”
Jansen may not be capable of peeling off Test centuries, but he must find ways to form annoying partnerships with top-order batters throughout the series.
“We are growing him in terms of his all-round ability and he has the ability to do something special with the bat,” Proteas interim coach Malibongwe Maketa said.
“From our point of view he’s a work in progress and we know he could and he is capable of being part of at least two fifty partnerships.
“We are going to have to back our batters to score the runs and our bowlers to take the wickets.”
South Africa may not have the most impressive record, but they can take comfort from what India achieved at the Gabba two summers ago.
Despite missing a plethora of top-order batters due to injury, the Indians somehow managed to topple the Gabba fortress with fierce resilience and hardened discipline.
The Proteas will need to replicate this bravery for any chance of taking a 1-0 lead against the Australians.
HOW WILL THE PITCH PLAY?
It isn’t easy to judge a pitch 24 hours before the first ball in a Test match, but Australia and South Africa’s pace bowlers will be licking their lips after peeking under the covers on Friday morning.
The Gabba deck was a vintage green seamer on Friday, with a healthy coating of grass. The venue’s curator confirmed to Proteas interim coach Malibongwe Maketa they would not be cutting any more grass off the top.
It could impact selection ahead of the series opener – if South Africa believes the Gabba will be a bowler-friendly wicket, they may be tempted to pick an extra batter in the starting XI.
But then there’s the risk vs rewards debate – do the Proteas play it safe and select seven batters, or throw caution to wind and unleash all four quicks?
“If there is a lot of grass and it’s really assisting bowlers, we are going to need to carry an extra batter to get us to the magical 400-450 total,” Maketa said.
“If it’s a tough wicket where you will have to work hard to get 20 wickets, you are going to need the extra bowler and trust the top order to get the 450.
“Wickets we have played on in the past have been a challenge, offering all three in terms of movement, bounce and a bit of seam.
“Gauging by the nets … it’s been a more consistent bounce. We are going to have to back our batters to score the runs and then have the bowlers take the 20 wickets.”
Maketa has warned his pace bowlers won’t be distracted by the Gabba’s “sexy bounce” – touring sides have repeatedly fallen into the trap of bowling short of a good length and watching the Kookaburra sail through to the wicketkeeper.
It’s fun to watch, but the Proteas know that bowling fractionally fuller is the key to success in Brisbane.
Australia’s bowlers boast an impressive record at the Gabba – Nathan Lyon has taken 42 wickets in 11 Tests in the Queensland capital, while captain Pat Cummins averages 16.78 with the ball in Brisbane.
Mitchell Starc, however, has been less successful at the Gabba, averaging 31.51 at the venue, making it his second-worst ground in Australia behind the SCG.
A green seamer would arguably favour Scott Boland more than any Australian bowler, with his relentless consistency and nibble posing a huge threat this week.
Last summer’s MCG deck for the Boxing Day Test looked eerily similar to this Gabba pitch – and we all remember what Boland achieved in those conditions.