Familiarity a bonus in SA: Khawaja

Usman Khawaja was one of the few shining lights in Australia’s horror 2016 series against South Africa, and the elegant left-hander hopes that a sense of familiarity with the Proteas’ pace attack will prove beneficial in the upcoming four-Test campaign.

Khawaja was the leading runscorer in that 2-1 defeat with 314 runs at an average of 52.33, a series that culminated in the usual first-drop posting a gritty hundred in Adelaide after being bumped up to open when David Warner was deemed to be off the field for too long in South Africa’s first innings.

That knock of 145 against the pink ball – Australia’s only hundred in the series – came against a Proteas attack led by swing king Vernon Philander and young firebrand Kagiso Rabada, both of whom will feature when the first Test begins on Thursday.

"I’ve faced them a few times now,” Khawaja told reporters on Monday.

"It’s always a bit tougher when you go into a series and you haven’t really faced the bowlers before, so you’re finding your feet a little bit.

"They’re world-class bowlers. They’ve got a really good bowling attack, they’ve got a really good side, you have to respect them.

"We’re in their home now where the conditions are quite similar but it’s a new series and it starts all over again."

Khawaja was among the Australian batters to complete a centre-wicket practice session at Kingsmead yesterday, as the tourists took their first look at the pitch for the much-anticipated series opener.

The 31-year-old is one of just six Australians to have a played a Test in South Africa, with his sole appearance coming on the 2011 tour that saw him produce a vital half-century in Australia’s epic Johannesburg run chase – a clash best remembered as Pat Cummins’ debut.

"That first Test, I think I was 12th man and we all know what happened there," Khawaja said in reference to the Cape Town Test where Australia were bundled out for 47.

"But the second Test, we came back from that first Test and won that second Test and chased up 300-odd and it was a great Test match in Jo’burg, we retained the series.

"I’ve got great memories from South Africa, always have.

"And the cricket is always played in really good spirit, I reckon.

"South Africans play their cricket hard like we do back home in Australia but they also play really fair and they’re all good blokes off the field, so it’s always a fun time playing against them."

Khawaja enters the series having spent 76 minutes at the crease for 30 runs in Australia’s sole tour match against South Africa A last week in Benoni.

While a significant score eluded all of Australia’s batters in the three-day hit-out, the net sessions against their own star-studded pace attack – along with uncapped duo Chadd Sayers and Jhye Richardson – have proved to be an ideal teaser of what to expect against the Proteas on their home turf.

"Yeah, it’s always testing times against our bowlers, especially when you get a few spicy nets,” he said.

"The practice and the nets sessions and the fielding and everything we’ve done, the preparation is really all we can control at this stage.

"It’s been first-class and I’m sure the next two-three days are going to be exactly the same. But when the game comes around it’s about being in the contest and doing the basics really well.

"It’s a cliché used a lot but the team that does that the longest usually wins red-ball cricket.

"This first game is a big one for both teams.”

Qantas tour of South Africa

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.

Warm-up match: Australia beat South Africa A by five wickets. Report, highlights

First Test Kingsmead, Durban, March 1-5

Second Test St George's Park, Port Elizabeth, March 9-13

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3