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Summary First Test between Australia and South Africa starts today at Brisbane.
Graeme Smith is fully conscious of the environment his No. 1-ranked team will face on today (Friday) in the series-opening match against Australia, even if South Africa hasnt played a Test at the Gabba since 1963.With five of the worlds top nine pacemen in action and with the top Test ranking at stake, the three-match series is destined to be fast and furious.Given its a year since Australia was bowled out for a humiliating 47 in an eight-wicket defeat in Cape Town, and given the green tinge to the Gabba pitch and the constant banter this week about short-pitch bowling, the indications are itll be difficult for the batsmen in Brisbane.Smith has a pace battery containing Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander the two top-ranked bowlers in Test cricket and Morne Morkel, whore supplemented by veteran allrounder Jacques Kallis and spinner Imran Tahir in a well-balanced attack.Observers this week have reported Steyn has been bowling quicker in the nets than usual.South Africa hasnt lost a series away from home since a 2-0 defeat at Sri Lanka in 2006 including a 2-1 series win in Australia in 2008-09 a point Smith was keen to underline as he shrugged off reports of an Australian dossier targeting flaws in each of his players that was leaked in the media on Thursday.Australia does have some good intelligence on the opposition, particularly after appointing Mickey Arthur as coach. Arthur, who was South Africa coach between 2005 and 2010, will be guiding a team in a Test against the South Africans for the first time in this series.Smith said some comments by Arthur and some of the media reports this week just added to South Africas motivation to win.In the so-called Protea File published by the Courier-Mail newspaper, the Australians are reportedly set to target Hashim Amla in a psychological war and have targeted Smith as susceptible to lbw dismissals.The Australians havent lost a Test at the Gabba since 1988, but have an unsettled team. Opener Shane Watson was ruled out due to injury replaced by uncapped Victoria left-hander Rob Quiney, who will make his Test debut batting at age 30.Ricky Ponting has been under a fitness cloud with a niggling hamstring problem and the bowling lineup will be missing Pat Cummins, who burst onto the international stage with a man-of-the-match performance when Australia rebounded to win at Johannesburg to level last years series 1-1.Skipper Michael Clarke will delay finalizing his starting XI until Friday, wanting a last-minute look at the pitch and the weather conditions which could be overcast and assist seam bowling. He did confirm that Ponting was fully fit and would play.
