Australia and South Africa haven’t played in a Test match in almost five years. The teams last played in a Test series in South Africa, where the hosts won the four-match series by a score of 3-1.
South Africa has won six of the last ten Test matches between the two teams and lost four. South Africa has won the two previous series against the other team.
Now, South Africa is going on a three-match Test series in Australia. This Test series marks South Africa’s first appearance in Australia since 2016.
The first Test will be held on December 17, 2022, at the Gabba in Brisbane. The Boxing Day Test will be held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and the New Year’s Test will be held on January 4, 2023, at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The South African squad for the series against Australia in Tests:
Dean Elgar (captain), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, and Khaya Zondo are the remaining members of the group
In light of this, the following is a comprehensive analysis of the South African Test team:
#Strength – A solid, even bowling assault
The South African bowling assault is a reasonable one with an assortment of speed and twists.
The last time Kagiso Rabada and Australia played a Test match in Australia, he had a successful series. In three Tests, he took 15 wickets at an average of 22.40.
He has taken 257 wickets in 257 Test matches, making him one of the most feared bowlers in Test cricket. He has a respectable record against Australia, taking 38 wickets in seven Test matches at an average of 20.50.
In addition, Anrich Nortje has taken 40 wickets in 15 Test matches. With his speed, he can agitate batsmen and could be a useful weapon for South Africa during the three-match Test series.
Keshav Maharaj has played for the Proteas in 45 Test matches. He has taken 154 wickets at an average of 30.61 in these games. In the recent past, the spinners have had success in Australia, and Maharaj may have an impact in the Test series.
# Weakness: The South African team’s batsmen lack experience
Aside from Temba Bavuma and Dean Elgar, no other batsmen have played in a Test match in Australia. The middle order and top order are young and have not had much success in Test cricket.
In his career, Henrich Klaasen has only participated in one Test. Khaya Zondo has only participated in two Test matches in his career. Sarel Erwee has participated in seven Test matches, while Theunis de Bruyn and Kyle Verreynne have participated in 11 Test matches each, averaging 19.45 and 26.93, respectively.
Rassie van der Dussen has appeared in 17 Test matches since returning from an injury.
The Proteas will try to rely on Elgar and Bavuma’s expertise. A strong Australian bowling attack may make it difficult for the rest of the batting line-up to get going.
# Opportunities—Players with a chance to make a name for themselves
Players like Ngidi and Nortje have had some success in Test cricket in the past, but they have yet to play in a Test match in Australia. The fast-bowling duo will try to replicate their Test cricket performances in Australia.
Rassie van der Dussen hasn’t scored a century in a Test. He will be a crucial middle-order player for Australia because the Australian pitches are likely to suit his style of bat.
Zondo, Erwee, and Verreynne, among others, will try to make the most of their chances to secure a spot in the South African red-ball lineup.
# Threat: A powerful Australian Test team Since 2020
Australia has played excellent Test cricket. In Test cricket, they hold the highest ranking. They have won nine of their 16 Test matches, four of which have ended in draws, and the remaining matches have resulted in the Australians losing.
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, and Travis Head appear to be in good hands with the batsmen. In the current Test series against the West Indies, all of the aforementioned batters have performed admirably.
The bowling team from Australia has a lot of experience. The inexperienced South African batting lineup will face difficulties from players like Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins. On Australian surfaces, Nathan Lyon is also an exceptional bowler.
With everything taken into account, both the groups are all around matched, taking everything into account. However, going into the three-match Test series, Australia may have a slight advantage over South Africa due to their more experienced and balanced batting lineup.