Aussies bowling first in Cape Town

Australia will field the same XI for the third time this series after injured Mitchells Marsh and Starc pulled up fine after training yesterday, and they will have first use of the ball in the third Test in Newlands.

Marsh has recovered from a groin strain while Starc has overcome a sore calf to take their places in Australia's XI for the third Test at Newlands.

South Africa has made two changes with Temba Bavuma and Morne Morkel coming into the XI, replacing Theunis de Bruyn and Lungi Ngidi, respectively. 

Bavuma adds some strength to the Proteas middle order, but comes into the match having not played a red-ball match since South Africa's Boxing Day Test match against Zimbabwe at Port Elizabeth, and only one fifty-over match since.

Ngidi was ruled out with a septic toe infection, paving the way for Morkel to return having been dropped for the second Test in Durban, and he needs three more scalps to claim 300 Test wickets in an international career that will wind up at the end of this series.

For the Australians, Smith said he would have preferred to bat if the coin had fallen his way, but was confident an unchanged XI would be able to extract maximum benefit from a pitch that is grassy but expected to quicken up over the next few days.

"I think they'll be OK," Australia captain Steve Smith said of Marsh and Starc in Cape Town yesterday.

"They both had a really good hit out yesterday. Obviously, we had 10 days between Test matches, which is a good break for them.

"They feel really good so no concerns there."

 

Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis revealed on match eve fast bowler Ngidi was battling an injured toe, while middle-order batsman Bavuma had recovered from a broken finger.

"We've got 13 in mind," du Plessis said.

"We've got Temba (Bavuma), who's ready to go again, so it's between him and Theunis (de Bruyn) and then also a decision between Morne (Morkel) and Lungi, which one we think will be better for the conditions.

"Lungi bowled really well the previous game. He's also got a little bit of a toe problem, which is probably why the consideration is happening between the two of them.

"I don't know exactly what it is but it is bothering him and keeping him back a little bit.

"If he's not 100 per cent then it's a very easy decision for us.

"What counts in Morne's favour is he's a very fit bowler, he can bowl long spells.

"I think that's very important going into this Test match, especially if we have only three seamers and a spinner.

"We'll have our three bowlers that has the biggest tank when it comes to bowling a lot of overs."

AUSTRALIA XI: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

SOUTH AFRICA XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wk), Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel

Qantas tour of South Africa

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

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 Australia won by 118 runs. Scorecard

Second Test South Africa won by six wickets. Scorecard

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26. Live coverage

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3. Live coverage