1 sleep
quote:
Team news
The once stable Australia have not fielded the same side in consecutive Tests for the past 11 matches and that will stretch to 12 games in Perth. Nathan Hauritz, who was a surprise inclusion in the Adelaide Test against New Zealand, is back on state duty and Jason Krejza will make his long-awaited second Test appearance. Krejza burst onto the scene with 12 wickets on debut in Nagpur but was overlooked in Brisbane before injuring his ankle in the lead-up to the Adelaide Test. He won his spot ahead of Shane Watson as Australia were wary of making the same mistake as last year in taking four fast bowlers into the Perth Test, although the pitch is expected to be livelier this year.
Australia 1 Matthew Hayden, 2 Simon Katich, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Andrew Symonds, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Jason Krejza, 10 Mitchell Johnson, 11 Peter Siddle.
The coach Mickey Arthur said there would be no surprises in the South African side, which features one of the most imposing batting line-ups in world cricket. Mark Boucher suffered a minor sprain to the medial ligament of his left ankle during the warm-up game but will play and there are no other injury concerns. The only doubt was whether the spinner Paul Harris would be included ahead of a fourth fast bowler, perhaps Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who impressed in both tour matches. Arthur said Tsotsobe was not out of the reckoning for a Test debut but it was shaping up as a match where they would feel the need to field a specialist spinner.
South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Neil McKenzie, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Ashwell Prince, 6 AB de Villiers, 7 Mark Boucher (wk), 8 Morne Morkel, 9 Paul Harris, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Makhaya Ntini.
Pitch and conditions
The appropriately named WACA has always delighted fast bowlers with its prodigious pace, bounce and carry. The pitches have become less spicy in recent years but there has been a return to the more traditional fast Perth surfaces in the domestic competition this season. The curator Cameron Sutherland is much happier with this year's pitch than that used in last season's Test, when the familiar zip was missing. There is likely to be a green tinge and although it might favour the fast men early, if batsmen can get set there are big scores on offer thanks to the pace off the bat and the quick outfield. Spinners should not be under-rated at the WACA, where the Fremantle Doctor blows across the ground and helps create drift, while the bounce can be just as useful for a quality slow man as for his seam-up colleagues.
Stats and Trivia
The WACA hosted its first Test in 1970-71 and since then the Gabba has been the only one of Australia's major five grounds at which Australia have a better winning percentage. In Perth they have won 20 of 35 Tests.
Five of the 11 leading run scorers in Tests in 2008 are South Africans. Jacques Kallis is the only one of their top six for this match not on the list. Australia's leading batsman, Ricky Ponting, is eighth.
South Africa have won one of their 12 Tests in Australia in the post-Apartheid era. The sole success came at the SCG in 1993-94, when Fanie de Villiers demolished Australia for 111 chasing 117 in the fourth innings.
Quotes
"It's very fair to say we've had the wood over them for a long time in both forms of the game and particularly probably in bigger moments in series, whether it be World Cup semi-finals or whether it be Test series."
Ricky Ponting reminds South Africa of their record against Australia
"Australia have earned the right to be respected. They've got some class players but if you look at the stats their bowling attack is very different to the last one we played on home soil."
Graeme Smith hopes the problems his team has experienced against Australia in the past will not be repeated
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/ausvrsa2008_09/content/story/382368.html
![[quote]](http://static.biggie.co.nz/img/dis/message_quote.png "Quote message"){kind=small}
but so solid these days.
5 more hours!
