Abbott eyes South Africa over T20 tour

Sean Abbott is the latest Australian cricketer to declare his preference is to be on the Test tour to South Africa instead of playing in the T20 series in New Zealand.

Despite the country battling a contagious new strain of coronavirus, Cricket South Africa is still set to host Australia in March.

The three-Test battle will be the first time Australia has played red-ball matches in South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.

Adding to the complications of playing in a country going through a deadly wave of COVID19 is that Australia are booked in for a concurrent five-match T20 series across the Tasman.

Abbott, along with Moises Henriques and Mitchell Swepson, played in Australia's last T20 and were unused squad members during the 2-1 Test series loss to India.

While Abbott will basically be guaranteed a game against the Black Caps, the NSW quick has his heart set on making a long-awaited Test debut.

"I'm not in the privileged position to have the choice and to say to JL (coach Justin Langer) 'I want to go here or there'," the 28-year-old paceman said on Monday.

"I know I played the last (T20) game against India, probably didn't perform the way I wanted, but they're a bloody good team. 

"The dream is always to play Test cricket and I can't play Test cricket if I'm in New Zealand so I would definitely prefer to be going to South Africa with a chance of playing Test cricket. 

"The bowling attack we have at the minute is pretty unbelievable so hopefully selection goes well and I'm on one (tour) or the other."

Alex Carey, who is seen as a long-term successor to Tim Paine as Australia's Test wicketkeeper, said last week he'd rather run drinks in South Africa than play in the white-ball series.

Carey has been squeezed out of Australia's T20 team in recent times, with Matthew Wade taking the gloves in the past four matches, and the 28-year-old is no certain starter in New Zealand given the rise of Sydney Sixers' gloveman Josh Philippe.

Abbott could push his way into the Test XI given Australia's quicks failed to bowl India out twice at the SCG and the tourists pulled off the highest run chase at the Gabba to retain the Border-Gavaskar trophy.

Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are locks, but Mitchell Starc struggled against India and his spot has come under scrutiny.

Abbott conceded players had some concerns about the coronavirus situation in South Africa, but has put his faith in the experts.

"They wouldn't send us over there unless they were 100 per cent certain they could keep us safe," he said.