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Australia vs South Africa, first Test, Brisbane

Nov 09, 2012 Sports

– Little mystery, much anticipation start today

So Australia has a dossier on the South Africa team. So what? One of the trends of 21st Century international cricket is that battles between nations now contain so few elements of the unknown. It should not be forgotten that these two sides played each other over a pair of uproarious Test matches only a year ago in Cape Town and Johannesburg, the series shared 1-1.
Between then and now Australian and South African players have shared dressing rooms at the IPL and the Champions League, opposed each other again at the World Twenty20 and tried to prepare as best as they can for a Test series with only one warm-up fixture in most cases.
But the lack of secrets to be divulged ahead of the first Test does not detract from the prospect of another meeting between two teams to have produced some of the most memorable Test encounters of recent times.
South Africa’s first visit to the Gabba in 49 years offers the prospect of plenty that is hair-raising, mainly for batsmen up against six of the world’s best fast bowlers, but spectators too. Graeme Smith’s side is settled and well grooved, their XI set in near enough to stone from the moment their plane touched down in Sydney last week.
Smith himself is fired up by the desire to ensure South Africa’s hold on the ICC’s top spot is not as fleeting this time around as it had been in 2009.
Australia, meanwhile, seek further proof of their rejuvenation. The Test team has not played together since April, and they may be forgiven for blinking just as much as the rest of the world at the fact they have the chance to unseat South Africa from their perch atop the rankings.
The fact they have a chance of doing so is the best indicator of how far the team has developed under Michael Clarke’s captaincy since the 2011 tour of Sri Lanka, as over that period the team has won three series, drawn two and shown the importance of incisive bowling to cover for a top six that on paper cannot match South Africa’s.
Line these two sides up and the visitors look to have a clear advantage. But contests between these teams have never been decided that way.

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