De Villiers quip masks Sayers' self-belief

Ask any bowler which modern-day batsman they'd most like to have as their first Test wicket and AB de Villiers would be one of the most popular responses.

That Chadd Sayers can say he's got the legendary South African as his maiden international scalp, in his final Test no less, is clearly a source of enormous pride.

Even if it takes the form of self-deprecation.

"I think he thought 'if I'm getting out to this bloke, then I probably should hang them up'," Sayers joked on Monday.

But the South Australian's straight-shooting humour masks a deep inner-confidence that his debut Test will not be a one-off. 

His Baggy Green cap was the realisation of years of toil at domestic level, having taken 159 wickets at 25 in 39 Sheffield Shield games for the Redbacks since the start of the 2013-14 summer.

Glimpses of Sayers' probing length and relentless accuracy were on display in his first-innings return of 2-78 from 35 overs, before going wicketless in the second dig as South Africa's batsmen targeted the debutant quick.

The likes of Shane Warne questioned whether the 30-year-old possesses the raw pace to succeed at Test level, but Sayers is confident he can transfer his domestic success to international cricket.

"What I have done for South Australia, I have to bring that to the Test arena," said Sayers, whose haul of 62 Sheffield Shield wickets in 2016-17 was the third-best in the competition's history. 

"I think I did that for a couple of days in the Test match. 

"My best is good enough for Test cricket – if I can continue to do that, hopefully I'll play in the Australian summer and the Ashes coming up."

Sayers missed out on a national contract in April as selectors shaped a limited-overs centric list for an upcoming calendar heavy on white-ball fixtures, but he would appear to remain firmly in contention for future Test encounters.  

Australia's next Test series is against Pakistan on the subcontinent, where selectors have generally opted for out-and-out speedsters rather than crafty types like Sayers, but the home summer and the ensuing Ashes in the United Kingdom represent major opportunities for the right-armer.

South Australia began their pre-season in Adelaide on Monday but Sayers was a notable absentee from fitness testing, having recently gone under the knife after being dogged by a right knee injury.

"It was an ongoing thing throughout (last season), it caused a little bit of grief but I could play with it," says Sayers, who won't resume bowling for another month.

"It was the perfect time to get it assessed and have a bit of cleanout. That was a month ago now, so (I'm) doing the rehab, and will be running in a couple of weeks."

Qantas tours of England and Zimbabwe

ODI squad: Tim Paine (c), Aaron Finch (vc), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye

T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Alex Carey (vc), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D'Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth

Qantas Tour of England

June 7: Warm-up v Sussex, Hove (D/N)

June 9: Warm-up v Middlesex, Lord's

June 13: First ODI, The Oval (D/N)

June 16: Second ODI, Cardiff

June 19: Third ODI, Trent Bridge (D/N)

June 21: Fourth ODI, Durham (D/N)

June 24: Fifth ODI, Old Trafford

June 27: Only T20, Edgbaston (D/N)

Qantas T20I tri-series Tour of Zimbabwe

Sunday, July 1: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan

Monday, July 2: Pakistan vs Australia

Tuesday, July 3: Australia vs Zimbabwe

Wednesday, July 4: Zimbabwe vs Pakistan

Thursday, July 5: Pakistan vs Australia

Friday, July 6: Australia vs Zimbabwe

Sunday, July 8: Final