SA v Australia: All You Need To Know Guide

The schedule:

1st ODI - September 30: Australia v South Africa at Centurion (9:30pm AEST)

2nd ODI – October 2: Australia v South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg (7:00pm AEDT)

3rd ODI - October 5: Australia v South Africa at Kingsmead, Durban (10:30pm AEDT)

4th ODI - October 9: Australia v South Africa at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth (7:00pm AEDT)

5th ODI – October 12: Australia v South Africa at Newlands, Cape Town (10:30pm AEDT)

Who’s playing?

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), George Bailey, Scott Boland, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, , Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Daniel Worrall Adam Zampa.

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn.

Steve Smith returns to captain Australia after missing the last three of the side’s ODIs against Sri Lanka but his side will feature a trio of unfamiliar faces in South Africa. Fast-bowlers Dan Worrall, who made his debut in the green and gold during the one-off ODI against Ireland, Joe Mennie and Chris Tremain have all been selected for their maiden international tours. Shaun Marsh and James Faulkner will both miss the tour after suffering injuries.

South Africa’s worst fears were confirmed on Tuesday when skipper and star man AB de Villiers was ruled out of both the upcoming ODI series as well as the subsequent Test tour of Australia in November. They will however be boosted by the return of quick Dale Steyn, who was left out the Proteas’ squad for June’s ODI tri-series in the Caribbean. He replaces Morne Morkel, who continues to recover from a back injury.

What’s at stake?

Bragging rights in one of the game’s fiercest 50-over rivalries. Both sides have traded barbs ahead of the series, which sees the ICC’s fourth ranked ODI side South Africa take on world No.1 Australia. Proteas wicketkeeper Quiton de Kock got the verbals started when he hinted Shaun Marsh used a broken finger as an excuse to not play in the series. And after Proteas stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis saidthey’ll look to exploit Australia’s supposed weakness against slow-bowling, his counterpart Steve Smith suggested their opponents are “more than welcome” to play a spin-heavy attack on pitches expected to favour seamers. The series will act as something of a curtain-raiser to South Africa’s Test tour of Australia in November, where a three-match series will culminate with a day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval.

The form:

Australia:

Following their 3-0 Test series drubbing at the hands of Sri Lanka, Australia bounced back to record a tremendous ODI series victory on the island-nation. The 4-1 result went a little way to making up for what began as a tough tour for Australia, and was compounded when captain Steve Smith flew home early after the second ODI with the 50-over series drawn 1-1. But his deputy David Warner looked assured in his first international games at the helm, as Australia won the remaining ODIs and then blitzed Sri Lanka in the two-T20 International series. 

South Africa:

The Proteas most recent limited-overs’ assignment came in June, with the Caribbean ODI tri-series against Australia and the West Indies. They managed wins against both sides but a Darren Bravo century saw them comprehensively lose their final pool match to the West Indies, meaning that missed out on the final. Australia went on the win the tournament and South Africa will be keen to set the record straight on their home turf.

What they said:

South Africa captain Faf du Plessis:

“(Spin) was our biggest weapon against them in the West Indies, and you could see they were just trying to sweep the ball after a while. That’s generally a sign for when the guys struggle to pick the ball. Conditions there were a lot different (in the Caribbean) to South African conditions so when the ball’s spinning a lot both ways it can become really tricky. But I think especially for the first two games (of this current series), you won’t see too much spin.”

Australia captain Steve Smith:

“(Dale Steyn) is a class bowler and has been for a long time. I watched the Test series against New Zealand where he looked like he was almost back to his best. He’s been left out of their one-day side for a little while now so he’s probably out to prove a point. No doubt he’ll be up and ready for this series.”

How to watch?

All five matches of the series will be broadcasted live on Fox Sports. Fans in Australia without a Foxtel subscription can follow every ball live through cricket.com.au’s Match Centre or via the CA Live app.

And cricket.com.au will of course keep you up to date with video highlights from every match and all the news from our team on the ground. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to stayinformed.