Australia face the great unknown

Match facts

November 24-28, 2016 Start time 1400 local (0330 GMT)

Big Picture

Remember back in April, when South Africa’s players were reluctant to accept a day-night Adelaide Test? It could be a series decider, they said, and there could be a No.1 ranking on the line. What quaint, innocent times they were. This series was decided when Australia capitulated in Hobart, and indeed there is a Test ranking up for grabs for the winner of this match, but it is No.4. Still, what both teams wouldn’t have given for the pink-ball day-night factor to be the primary focus of this past week. Instead, all anyone has cared about is what South Africa’s captain sucked in Hobart, and why Australia sucked in Hobart. As for the day-night Test, both teams will just suck it and see.

In the end, for all the argy-bargy – both verbal and physical – around the ball-tampering issue, South Africa will have Faf du Plessis available in Adelaide and may or may not change their XI. As for Australia? They will be unrecognisable – and not just to the public. Three debutants – opener Matt Renshaw and middle-order batsmen Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson – have been confirmed. Smith even revealed that prior to this week, he had never so much as set eyes on Renshaw. In his column on Cricket Australia’s website, Smith wrote of the squad convening in Adelaide: “I had to quietly ask a couple of the guys who had met Matt beforehand to make sure they pointed him out to me if he happened to walk past.”

It is a remarkable situation in which the Australians find themselves. Three debutant batsmen in Australia’s Test top six is exceptionally rare. It last happened during the World Series Cricket divide, and before that in 1946 in the first Test following a six-year hiatus due to World War II. But to find the last occasion that was not caused by external circumstances we must go all the way back to 1936 and Don Bradman’s first Test as captain. Even that instance is debatable – it occurred only when the batting order was tweaked in the second innings. Not since 1924 and the shared debut of Bill Ponsford, Victor Richardson and Arthur Richardson has it happened in the first innings.

All of this just highlights how extraordinary Australia’s selection sweep has been this week. South Africa’s week, too, has been far from normal. But now the focus can shift to the pink-ball day-night Test, the third in the game’s history. Should South Africa win, they will move to No.4 on the Test rankings and Australia – No.1 earlier this year – will fall to fifth. Then there is the small matter of a possible clean sweep: never in Australia’s history have they lost every Test of a home series of three or more matches. Never has a dead rubber felt so alive.

Form guide

Australia: LLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
 South Africa: WWWDW

In the spotlight

One of the most debatable of Australia’s selection decisions this week was the axing of Peter Nevill, considered the country’s best gloveman and a batsman who had fought in vain for a draw in Perth, and the recall of Matthew Wade. Australia’s selectors believe that Wade’s wicketkeeping has improved since he last played a Test in March 2013 and his batting record – two fighting centuries in a 12-Test career – is encouraging. But it also appears that Wade’s yappy nature behind the stumps is a desired trait, and that Nevill was simply perceived as too quiet. It is also worth noting that Wade is colour blind, yet has been called up for a day-night Test. However, this may be less of a problem than some people think: in his four day-night Sheffield Shield games, Wade has scored 55, 30, 41*, 78 and 26.

The leading run scorer in the series, Quinton de Kock has been a constant barrier between Australia’s bowlers and their hopes of running through the South African lower order. He has piled up 252 at 84.00 from just three Test innings on this trip, and clearly has no problems against the pink ball, having blasted 122 against a Cricket Australia XI in the day-night warm-up game before the first Test. In fact, such has been de Kock’s consistency in recent times that if he reaches a half-century in his first innigs in Adelaide, he will join Jacques Kallis and Alan Melville as the only South Africans in history to have passed fifty in six consecutive Test innings.

Team news

Australia confirmed their XI on the eve of the match, with Chadd Sayers named 12th man and Jackson Bird included. It means five changes from their Hobart XI: Matt Renshaw, Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Wade and Bird have come in at the expense of Joe Burns, Adam Voges, Callum Ferguson, Peter Nevill and Joe Mennie.

Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Nic Maddinson, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird.

There is a school of thought that Tabraiz Shamsi, the left-arm wrist-spinner, might come in for this Test due to the difficulty for batsmen in seeing the seam on the pink ball, and therefore picking a wrist-spinner’s variations.

South Africa (possible) 1 Stephen Cook, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 JP Duminy, 5 Faf du Plessis (capt), 6 Temba Bavuma, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Keshav Maharaj / Tabraiz Shamsi.

Pitch and conditions

An extra two millimetres of grass will be shaved off the Adelaide Oval pitch this year compared to last year’s inaugural day-night Test in an effort to even up the contest between bat and ball. Still, there should be plenty of seam movement and batsmen will need to work hard both against the new ball, and during the dusk period when the lights first come on. No rain is anticipated over the course of the match.

Stats and trivia

This will be Steven Smith’s 17th Test as captain, and will take his tally to 28 players used in those Tests. By comparison, Steve Waugh used only 28 players in his entire 57-Test captaincy career This will be the 12th consecutive Test in which Australia have used a different XI from their previous match Last time a team whitewashed Australia in Australia was 1887, when England did it in a two-Test series. It has never happened in a series of three or more Tests Peter Handscomb is the leading run scorer in day-night Sheffield Shield games, with 480 at 60.00. His record at Adelaide Oval is also extremely strong: 479 first-class runs at 68.42

Quotes

“Very important. You want to be part of creating history. We’ve played some really good cricket and we’ve got something going. I don’t know how many pink-ball Tests will be played. This could be our first or last.”Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s stand-in captain, on the importance of the match

Login To Post Comments . Your ESPN name ” will be used to display your comments. Please click here to edit this. Log Out characters left LATEST ALL 118 FEATURED 1 OLDEST LowBouncer on November 23, 2016, 20:06 GMT

Debutants doing very well lately – in Bangladesh, Haseeb & Jayant in India, Colin and Jeet for NZ. This could actually turn out to be good for Australia .. not that I have any sympathy for them. As a neutral, I’d like to see them play well but lose in the end.

Kris Bharki on November 23, 2016, 19:53 GMT

Definitely tuning in. As an Indian I, and many others with far more expertise, had riled about how IPL would decline Indian cricket. Despite its flaws, IPL has managed to expand the game in India, expand the infrastructure to smaller towns and cities and probably India’s domestic circuit is as strong as its ever been. However, BBL seem to have dented the depth and quality of players coming through Australian set up. Heard Waugh, Chappell among others talk in the last few weeks of dearth of talent in all facets of the game. Have Australia ever lost 6 tests in a row?

Acquisition on November 23, 2016, 19:49 GMT

Can’t see this test going into day 5. Pitch will assist batsmen but SA bowlers on fleek. 60/40 to team batting first. Win toss

NikhilSachdev on November 23, 2016, 19:44 GMT

All the best Vernon for the reverse swing but I am afraid he won’t be able to even swing the ball, let alone reverse swing. As a lot of SC fans said in the beginning of the series, mediocre.

gaziraihan88 on November 23, 2016, 19:43 GMT

@CRICFAN52221942.Isn’t Kyle Abbott a bench player for SA who was motm in previous test?@As much as football&cricket nostalgics miss Brazil&WI of old,doesn’t everyone deserves their day in sunshine?If Aussies decline,someone else will take their place like Aussies did from WI.And anyways,they stopped being competitive abroad after Ponting,Hussey lost form and retired while their bowling has also lost bite after Johnson,Watson,Harris retired from cricket in last 1 year or so,who bowled Australia to test series victory in SA 2 years ago,their only notable away test victory in quite a while.Forget Ashes tour in England,every away test tour for current crop of Aussie players will be intimidating against full members from now on,bar Zim,WI(who has a poor organisation)&NZ(who has similarities with Aussie pitches).Ponting,Clarke,Hussey,Hayden,Martyn’s were a rare group of players who was capable of adjusting their game regardless of pitches,which is a missing commodity in Aus team these days.

Grifty on November 23, 2016, 19:30 GMT

@keeravon… rugby union one of our two main sports? Pretty sure it’s most people’s fourth choice of football code after AFL, league and soccer

Wayne_Larkins_barnett on November 23, 2016, 19:24 GMT

So a flat pitch to nulify SAs explosive bowling and help the English born debutant and others struggling. Fairest of them all? Nah.

cricfan44810102 on November 23, 2016, 18:52 GMT

Good luck to Yorkshire born Renshaw they used to say strong Yorkshire strong England may have to change that saying now hope the kid gets a ton

keeravon on November 23, 2016, 18:36 GMT

as a New Zealander watching with interest from across the Tasman , never has Australia sport been this low in there 2 main sports Cricket and rugby union, this is not good for either game ,am not sure how long it will take Australian cricket to come back to number 1 but be sure it wont be this season ,India are waiting and u honestly could see that becoming 4 nil ,and their rugby team well no hope till 2025 at least,and to coin Chris Handy (go u good things)

cricfan44810102 on November 23, 2016, 18:22 GMT

Playing Australia at the moment is as much a battle as the aussie team of the 70s and 80s post packer and rebel tours the very fact that their playing overseas player’s says all you need to know about their decline

LowBouncer on November 23, 2016, 20:06 GMT

Debutants doing very well lately – in Bangladesh, Haseeb & Jayant in India, Colin and Jeet for NZ. This could actually turn out to be good for Australia .. not that I have any sympathy for them. As a neutral, I’d like to see them play well but lose in the end.

Kris Bharki on November 23, 2016, 19:53 GMT

Definitely tuning in. As an Indian I, and many others with far more expertise, had riled about how IPL would decline Indian cricket. Despite its flaws, IPL has managed to expand the game in India, expand the infrastructure to smaller towns and cities and probably India’s domestic circuit is as strong as its ever been. However, BBL seem to have dented the depth and quality of players coming through Australian set up. Heard Waugh, Chappell among others talk in the last few weeks of dearth of talent in all facets of the game. Have Australia ever lost 6 tests in a row?

Acquisition on November 23, 2016, 19:49 GMT

Can’t see this test going into day 5. Pitch will assist batsmen but SA bowlers on fleek. 60/40 to team batting first. Win toss

NikhilSachdev on November 23, 2016, 19:44 GMT

All the best Vernon for the reverse swing but I am afraid he won’t be able to even swing the ball, let alone reverse swing. As a lot of SC fans said in the beginning of the series, mediocre.

gaziraihan88 on November 23, 2016, 19:43 GMT

@CRICFAN52221942.Isn’t Kyle Abbott a bench player for SA who was motm in previous test?@As much as football&cricket nostalgics miss Brazil&WI of old,doesn’t everyone deserves their day in sunshine?If Aussies decline,someone else will take their place like Aussies did from WI.And anyways,they stopped being competitive abroad after Ponting,Hussey lost form and retired while their bowling has also lost bite after Johnson,Watson,Harris retired from cricket in last 1 year or so,who bowled Australia to test series victory in SA 2 years ago,their only notable away test victory in quite a while.Forget Ashes tour in England,every away test tour for current crop of Aussie players will be intimidating against full members from now on,bar Zim,WI(who has a poor organisation)&NZ(who has similarities with Aussie pitches).Ponting,Clarke,Hussey,Hayden,Martyn’s were a rare group of players who was capable of adjusting their game regardless of pitches,which is a missing commodity in Aus team these days.

Grifty on November 23, 2016, 19:30 GMT

@keeravon… rugby union one of our two main sports? Pretty sure it’s most people’s fourth choice of football code after AFL, league and soccer

Wayne_Larkins_barnett on November 23, 2016, 19:24 GMT

So a flat pitch to nulify SAs explosive bowling and help the English born debutant and others struggling. Fairest of them all? Nah.

cricfan44810102 on November 23, 2016, 18:52 GMT

Good luck to Yorkshire born Renshaw they used to say strong Yorkshire strong England may have to change that saying now hope the kid gets a ton

keeravon on November 23, 2016, 18:36 GMT

as a New Zealander watching with interest from across the Tasman , never has Australia sport been this low in there 2 main sports Cricket and rugby union, this is not good for either game ,am not sure how long it will take Australian cricket to come back to number 1 but be sure it wont be this season ,India are waiting and u honestly could see that becoming 4 nil ,and their rugby team well no hope till 2025 at least,and to coin Chris Handy (go u good things)

cricfan44810102 on November 23, 2016, 18:22 GMT

Playing Australia at the moment is as much a battle as the aussie team of the 70s and 80s post packer and rebel tours the very fact that their playing overseas player’s says all you need to know about their decline

TUSHAR-M on November 23, 2016, 18:13 GMT

Grass or no Grass. Australia are still going to lose in 4 days. Only rain can save them from a 3-0 whiteout.

cricfan52221942 on November 23, 2016, 18:08 GMT

When I look at the Aussie line up, I cannot see any of the SA players feeling threatened. I think a SA second eleven would have the beating of this side

gaziraihan88 on November 23, 2016, 16:58 GMT

3 debuts,5 changes from the previous test which could’ve been 6 If O’Keefe didn’t had inflammation of his injury.Regardless of whoever plays,your teams best players need to stand up when facing a quality side like SA which they haven’t done in the series.Rabada has made Smith his bunny while Philander have made life difficult for Warner&SA’s all 3 seamers got the. better of Khawaja in the series.How brutally Australia have been outplayed in this series could be highlighted by this stat,SA bowler Philander have scored more runs in the series than Australia’s best batsman Smith,while SA’s bench bowler Abbott has got more wickets in 1 test than Australia’s best bowler Starc has got in 2 matches.Australia needs almost similar sort of titanic fightback that SA did in 1st test as a group and something magical/miraculous to get anything from Adelaide test with a makeshift team against a hungry,determined& skillful SA team,let’s wait and see If Aussies can produce that magic.

CheeseVanTonder on November 23, 2016, 16:33 GMT

@Cready

There is no ways that they are going to drop any of the current Pace bowlers for Pretorious. Groundsman taken all the grass off it so it goes for 5 days. Cant blame him after watching Hobart. So playing a spinner is essential.

Cready on November 23, 2016, 15:44 GMT

I forgot about the other option that SA has available. If they play Shamsi instead of Maharaj they lose a bit on the batting side. But Pretorius could be slotted in, only question is for who? Philander is also somewhat of an all-rounder and has not been too bad with the bat of late, so putting Pretorius instead of him sort of defeats the purpose (though I think Pretorius is a better batsman). So the only remaining options are Pretorius in for KG, which won’t and shouldn’t happen, or in for Abbott which won’t and shouldn’t happen. Pity, but true (imagine the toughness of these decisions once Morris is fit again).

amitdi on November 23, 2016, 15:36 GMT

@ALTAFPATEL every alternative has drawbacks. red ball has drawback that its not visible at night. while ball has drawback that its not visible with players white clothes. even reverse swing when it first came was a drawback that ball started swinging when shined on one side, but now its a weapon. doesnt mean we stop playing. it just means that pink ball seam not visible is more of a weapon, just like reverse swing.

its a batsman game anyways, so fans should actually welcome these “drawbacks” used by bowlers.

Bazza_SAF on November 23, 2016, 15:06 GMT

Now at last onto the cricket! Doesnt sound like the Aussie fans too happy with Lyon and Wade being selected. Wade is going to cop a lot of flak from the saffas after his cheap shot elbow in the ribs attempt last ODI! Hope hes up to the batting task as no one has any faith in his keeping it seems. Cannot understand Sayers being selected after being picked in squad as its his home ground. Strange decision. I sincerely hope the Aussies put up a decent game and then allow their toungsters to perform v Pakistan as well before venturing onto India.

woody3 on November 23, 2016, 14:45 GMT

If Australia win the Saffers should say what the Aussies always did when England won dead rubber matches, they were’nt really trying, didnt want to win anyway and losing a dead rubber game just means you are even greater.

AltafPatel on November 23, 2016, 14:39 GMT

“…the difficulty for batsmen in seeing the seam on the pink ball…” That means Pink ball day-night match was experiment without checking its drawbacks.

cricfan8054170 on November 23, 2016, 14:29 GMT

i hope that de kock scores a hundred and a fifty. And lets see how much up he goes in the ICC rankings. Kohli went from 14 to 4 with a match aggragate of 247 runs and also there was another hundred in the match by pujara so he should have got max 7 spots up not 10. To me rankings are either biased or the ICC is forcing only the fab 4’s.

Tossing_The_Match on November 23, 2016, 14:21 GMT

Many changes in AUS Team. A new team in MINT condition. Can they …

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