Back at home after the tribulations and humiliations of the Test series in the UAE, Michael Clarke’s Australians will begin their home summer on Friday at the WACA. Of course, a team that called itself Australia has played three Twenty20s over the past week and a half, but Glenn Maxwell was the only man in that side who had been part of the Test debacle against Pakistan. His team-mates – Clarke, David Warner, Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Marsh – have all rested and now return to the national side. They do so in conditions that should make them happier; the surfaces in Abu Dhabi and Perth share about as much in common as the surfaces of Neptune and Mars.
But their opponents, South Africa, don’t mind the quick and bouncy conditions either. In fact, across all formats they have played 11 matches at the WACA and have only ever lost once. Johnson will like bowling on the Perth pitch, but so will Dale Steyn. And Morne Morkel. And Vernon Philander. South Africa can also claim the recent advantage, having beaten Australia in the tri-series final in Zimbabwe in September. It has been a busy year of Australia-South Africa clashes; by the end of this month the two teams will have met in 16 games across all formats in 2014.
However, this will be the first meeting of Steyn and Clarke, neither of whom were part of the T20 series, since a certain sledging incident on the final day of the Cape Town Test in March. As the Australians moved towards a series win, Clarke said something to Steyn that stuck with the South African. During the tri-series in Zimbabwe he suggested that he had not forgiven Clarke for the comment, and had taken it personally. It might seem a petty squabble but could add some extra heat to a series that will already be important for both teams, the Nos.2 and 3 on the ICC’s one-day rankings, as they prepare for the World Cup.
Form guide
(last five completed games most recent first)
Australia WWWLW
South Africa WWWWL
In the spotlight
A year and a half ago, Matthew Wade was Australia’s incumbent wicketkeeper in all formats. Now, Brad Haddin is, and the strength of the wicketkeeping contenders around Australia meant there was no clear second in line. But when the selectors wanted to give Haddin a rest they chose Wade for the two Perth games, and the shoulder injury Haddin sustained in the UAE means Wade is likely to play the whole ODI series. And if there is any lingering doubt over Haddin’s fitness for the first Test against India at the Gabba, this is Wade’s big chance to remind everyone of his international credentials.
Steyn is not the only fast bowler who will be keen to reacquaint himself with Australia’s captain. During the Cape Town Test, Clarke was left with a fractured shoulder after a bouncer barrage from Morne Morkel, who also struck him on the helmet, forearm, ribs, hands and elbow during the fierce spell. Clarke went on to make an unbeaten 161, but not without some serious discomfort. The bounce available for fast men at the WACA will make Morkel a challenging opponent once again.
Team news
The return of Shane Watson, who missed the tri-series in Zimbabwe and the tour of the UAE, will necessitate a reworking of the batting line-up. He will slot in at No.3, which means that Steven Smith has been squeezed out despite his excellent one-day form against Pakistan. Australia have opted against taking a specialist spinner to Perth, where Glenn Maxwell will be their only slow bowler. They have opted for a deep batting line-up with allrounders Watson and Mitchell Marsh both in the team.
Australia 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 George Bailey, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Matthew Wade (wk), 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 11 Josh Hazlewood.
JP Duminy’s knee injury has opened up a spot in the South Africa line-up and should mean that there is room for both Rilee Rossouw and David Miller, with Ryan McLaren able to slot in at No.7. The rest of their side seems settled and the only question would be whether they play a spinner on the fast Perth pitch.
South Africa (possible) 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 AB de Villiers (capt), 5 Rilee Rossouw, 6 David Miller, 7 Ryan McLaren, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir/Kyle Abbott.
Pitch and conditions
The WACA is back to its fast and bouncy best, which means encouragement for the quick bowlers but also for batsmen who can use the pace of the ball. When England batted first in the most recent ODI at the venue, they posted 316. The forecast for Friday is for a sunny day and a top of 24C.
Stats and trivia
South Africa have played eight ODIs at the WACA and have lost only once, to Australia in 2001-02
Despite Mitchell Johnson’s formidable Test record at the WACA, he has taken only 11 wickets in nine ODIs there, and none in his past three games. His last ODI wickets in Perth came in February 2011
Australia have five bowlers in the top 50 ODI rankings but Johnson is the only one playing. James Faulkner and Mitchell Starc are playing Sheffield Shield cricket instead, while Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty are on the outer
Discussions between the TV umpire and the on-field officials will be broadcast to viewers at home during this series
Quotes
“I saw it the other day and it looked quite fast and bouncy. That was with the pink ball. Normally the white ball can go through pretty quickly and swing nicely.”
Mitchell Johnson was pleased with what he saw during the recent day-night Sheffield Shield game at the WACA
“We play a very similar style of cricket on the field. We are competitive. We like to get into each other’s faces.”
Faf du Plessis expects a fierce contest
