Australia v South Africa.
Match starts Saturday, 3 January (2230 GMT, Friday, 2 January)
Match scorecard
 South Africa captain Graeme Smith was the top Test run-scorer in 2008
|
South Africa can eclipse Australia as the leading Test-playing nation with victory in the third and final Test which begins in Sydney on Saturday.
The visitors took a 2-0 series lead with a nine-wicket triumph at the MCG and are looking to inflict Australia's first home whitewash in 122 years.
With Brett Lee, Shane Watson and Andrew Symonds injured, the hosts feature one of their most inexperienced attacks.
Andrew McDonald plus Doug Bollinger or Ben Hilfenhaus will make their debuts.
Having lost the final two Tests in India, Australia recovered to win both matches of the home series against New Zealand, but face the very real prospect of their first whitewash down under since 1887-88.
Australia have been the official world number one team for all but eight months of the last 13 years.
"We've had an amazing run as a team. We have dominated world cricket for a long period of time," said Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
"We've all got to remain upbeat. There's no time for panic or as (chief selector) Andrew Hilditch said, chop and change
"I'm still very positive and very sure that with some of these younger guys coming on that in a few years time we can get back up there and be dominating world cricket once again."
 |
606: DEBATE
alexrickets99
|
Joining left-armer Mitchell Johnson, a 17-cap veteran, in the bowling line-up will be seamer Peter Siddle, who has played three Tests, and spinner Nathan Hauritz, who also has just three caps.
"It's going to be a challenge for me and something I'm looking forward to," said the 27-year-old Johnson.
"That's probably my job in the team - to try to help these young blokes through this next little period.
"That's something I've got to step up and do now. I still think we're a very strong side even though we've got a lot of young guys in the team."
Meanwhile, the South Africans are determined to press for the cleansweep.
Batsman Ashwell Prince, who has missed both matches in the series with a thumb injury and rates his chances of being fit for Sydney at 60%, says the winning mentality is important ahead of the return series beginning in Johannesburg on 26 February.
"Momentum is important and we certainly don't want to give it back to them," he said.
|
We still have three Tests to play against them at home and to win this Test will obviously keep the momentum with us
Ashwell Prince
|
Referring to the series against England when they lost the final Test at The Oval to make their winning margin 2-1, he said: "We don't want to make the same mistakes again, and this third Test is obviously important for the rest of the summer.
"We still have three Tests to play against them at home and to win this Test will obviously keep the momentum with us."
Prince insists, however, that the world number one ranking is not on their minds and said: "We leave the rankings to the people responsible for them and we will just concentrate on what goes on on the field."
Australia have a fine record against the South Africans at the Sydney Cricket Ground, winning seven and losing just one of the 10 matches between the teams played there since 1910.
Prince and Jacques Kallis both scored centuries in the most recent encounter in January 2006, but Australia skipper Ricky Ponting made hundreds in both innings as his side won by eight wickets.
The world's three leading news agencies are not covering the series due to a dispute with Cricket Australia.
Reuters, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press have suspended all coverage of the 2008-09 season.
Their photographers and reporters did not supply material from within the ground. As a result, we cannot use pictures from the current match.
No comments:
Post a Comment