Australia name best team for tour opener

Steve Smith will captain Australia in their tour opener against South Africa A on Thursday. Photo: Dean Lewins/EPA

Steve Smith will captain Australia in their tour opener against South Africa A on Thursday. Photo: Dean Lewins/EPA

Published Feb 21, 2018

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BENONI – Australia on Wednesday named their strongest possible team ahead of their tour opening match against South Africa A starting at Willowmoore Park on Thursday.

The only likely member of their Test starting eleven missing from the warm-up match is opening batsman David Warner, who was captaining Australia's Twenty20 team in the final of a triangular tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

The South Africa A team includes five players with international experience.

The first of four Tests starts in Durban on March 1.

The teams are:

South Africa A: 

Khaya Zondo (captain), Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Beuran Hendricks, Pieter Malan, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Duanne Olivier, Rudi Second (wkt), Malusi Siboto, Shaun von Berg.

Australia: 

Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wkt), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

AFP

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