Derbs, Northants plan Barbados pre-season

Derbyshire will head back to the Caribbean to prepare for their first season in Division One of the County Championship since 2000 and have vowed to maintain their youthful selection policy.

Last season's pre-season trip proved successful as Karl Krikken's young side, featuring several homegrown players, went on to win promotion for the first time. They will fly out to Barbados for the fourth consecutive year on March 11, 2013 for 12 days, playing practice matches against local opposition and other counties, including Northamptonshire. Two two-day fixtures, a 40-over match and a Twenty20 tournament at the Kensington Oval are scheduled.

"Barbados is a tried and tested pre-season venue and it provides ideal preparation ahead of a challenging domestic campaign," Kirkken, Derbyshire's head coach, said. "To be guaranteed good weather and consequently time on the field is extremely important for our players at this critical time of year. We've certainly felt the benefit from previous visits.

"It's an intense itinerary and one that gives us the best possible chance of hitting the ground running for first division cricket in 2013."

Despite the step up in the Championship, Derbyshire will trust their young squad and resist temptation to greatly increase the playing budget. During his time as academy coach, Kirkken nurtured many of the players recently given a chance in the first team - such as Dan Redfern, Ross Whiteley and Tom Poynton - and who have now signed extended contracts.

"Hopefully there are more contracts in the pipeline," Krikken said. "We would like a top-three batter - we're talking to Usman Khawaja about coming back, and we have a back-up shortlist, but not many are making moves right now.

"But again, we're not panicking because I've already got 16 players I believe to be wholly reliable, who complement each other's abilities, and who instinctively put the team's interests before their own - something that hasn't always been the case at Derbyshire."

Captain Wayne Madsen also signed a new three-year deal as Derbyshire look to continue the careful management that has seen consecutive years of profit under the chairmanship of Chris Grant, and gradual improvement on the field, culminating in last season's Division Two title.

They reeled off four wins in the opening seven matches of their successful campaign and put the bright start down to their pre-season tour. Derbyshire were not the only county to reap the benefits of a West Indies warm-up: Hampshire, the CB40 and FLt20 champions, Warwickshire, who won the County Championship title and promotion-winning Yorkshire all prepared for the 2012 season in Barbados.

Joining Derbyshire next year are Northants, who will be hoping for a similar early season boost to the one they enjoyed after touring South Africa in 2011. Despite not winning a match on the trip, they blazed a trail in both the County Championship and CB40, going unbeaten in 12 matches before the FLt20 badly derailed their season. A similar trip was cancelled at the start of this year, with Northamptonshire ultimately finishing second-bottom in Division Two.

Newly appointed captain Steven Peters told BBC Sport it will give them a "noticeable advantage" for next season. "We're at a disadvantage if we start the season and we haven't been away," he said. "It's more valuable than seven or eight sessions back home."

Northamptonshire's trip is being partly funded by the players, as well as donations from the Northants Supporters Club. The squad will fly out on March 11 and return on March 23.

Head coach, David Ripley, added: "Once again there will be an early start to the season, which means it is crucially important that the lads can get as much cricket as possible beforehand. With uncertain weather conditions in March, sometimes outdoor practice can be limited in England. We all saw how the team hit the ground running following the last pre-season tour to South Africa in 2011."

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India begin preparatory camp ahead of England Tests

While the visiting Englishmen played their third warm-up game of the India tour in Ahmedabad, India's Test side eased into its three-day preparatory camp for the upcoming series with a short practice session at the Cricket Club of India (CCI) in south Mumbai. All members of the squad, barring Harbhajan Singh, whose flight was delayed, arrived at the CCI in the afternoon, along with coach Duncan Fletcher, and batted and bowled for a little more than an hour after a short game of football. With the World Twenty20 and Champions League T20 having consumed most of September and October, this was the first outing for India's Test side in nine weeks, the first after the New Zealand series at home.

The fitness of Zaheer Khan, who had lasted all of 13.3 overs on India's tour of England last year, was again in focus. Zaheer had pulled up sore, pointing towards his groin, on the third day of Mumbai's Ranji Trophy opener against Railways last week, and had walked off the field. He didn't bowl or field on the fourth and final day, but Mumbai captain Ajit Agarkar had said Zaheer's problem was just cramp. Today, while the other quick bowlers in the India squad, Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma, bowled through the mini-session, Zaheer spent the majority of his time on the massage table. He eventually did bowl for a while but was clearly not extending himself. On the other hand, Ishant and Umesh, especially, bowled with pace and rhythm.

The batsmen took to the nets as per the batting order in batches of four, with Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Cheteshwar Pujara and Sachin Tendulkar starting off. Pujara looked in fine touch, defending and attacking confidently, though the bowling was below par at times. With various age-group matches going on in Mumbai at the moment, it was difficult to assemble decent young net bowlers. Two of those bowlers, though, managed to hit Tendulkar's stumps once each with the batsman appearing a touch tentative. Tendulkar did loft R Ashwin crisply a few times and soon left the nets to receive a few throwdowns.

Next in were Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane and MS Dhoni. Gambhir and M Vijay, the reserve opener, continued to bat into the fading light after the rest were done. After Gambhir walked off eventually, Vijay hit a few more for a while against the local spinners and was the last player to leave the nets. The squad will have a full training session tomorrow.

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Tamim rues long gap between Tests

Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladesh opener, has said the huge gap between the team's Test matches is hurting their chances in the format. When they host West Indies for two Tests starting next week, Bangladesh will play five-day cricket after a gap of 11 months.

"Our situation isn't good, we play Tests after long gaps," Tamim told ESPNcricinfo. "We should have this mentality of adapting ourselves from one format to the other. If we had played regular Test cricket, this question about adjusting wouldn't have come up."

Bangladesh played five Tests last year, drawing one and losing the other four, a marginal improvement from 2010, when they lost all seven Tests they played. However, Tamim had a stellar 2010, when he made three Test centuries, and a leaner 2011, when he struggled because of the team's 14-month break from Test cricket. Most Bangladesh players struggled to make that transition from limited-overs to Tests.

"Good form doesn't last for long, so one has to make the best of it. When I was doing really well in 2010, how many Tests did I end up playing? If someone else was in my place, he would have played more and made more runs."

Tamim said he planned to bring more discipline to his game this season in order to make up for the break, but added that it was the player's mentality that mattered.

"It depends on individuals. If one's thinking pattern goes like, 'I am playing a Test match after a year and a half', his performance will be what he makes of it. If you think differently and decide that I should be ready mentally, I think this gives a player more chances to perform.

"If you make a professional cricketer play a T20 after two years of Tests, he won't just start leaving balls outside off stump. He's not an idiot. He has the sense to hit out. The same thing happens when you bring him back to Tests from Twenty20s."

Bangladesh will mark 12 years in Test cricket with the second lowest number of Tests in a year - just the two against West Indies (the lowest being the single Test against India in 2000). They have a longer 2012-13 season, however, with Tests scheduled against Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe early next year, but only positive results will give the country's cricket authorities a little more room to manoeuvre their cricket schedule and attract top countries to play against Bangladesh.

Tamim said the players had to look at their situation positively. "What opportunities we get, we should make full use of it. This will give us more chances to play."

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Lions make it three wins out of three

Lions 248 for 9 (Bodi 45, Kemp 2-23) beat Cape Cobras 229 (O'Reilly 3-61) by 19 runs
Scorecard

Lions increased the gap between them and the rest with a third consecutive win in the Momentum One Day Cup, beating Cape Cobras by 19 runs at Newlands. It was their hardest-fought win yet.

After choosing to bat on a slightly difficult pitch, Lions made a positive start, reaching 65 for 0 and then 101 for 2 in the 23rd over. It was then that Gulam Bodi, whose 45 was eventually the innings' top score, was run out by Justin Ontong. Lions lost two more wickets for 22 runs and their momentum was shot. Temba Bavuma and Zander de Bruyn made 30s but were dismissed before converting their starts into substantial scores. Johann Louw and Justin Kemp took two wickets each for Cobras as Lions were restricted to 248 for 9.

The Cobras chase got off to a swift start, with Richard Levi leading the way. Andrew Puttick's struggle - 13 off 32 balls - ended in the 10th over, and then Levi was dismissed in the next, leaving Cobras on 55 for 2. From 99 for 2 they slipped further to 158 for 6 in the 36th over, with none of the top and middle-order batsmen making significant contributions. However, the equation boiled down to 47 runs to get off 40 balls with four wickets in hand, and Cobras were in the game. Ethan O'Reilly then struck the telling blow, Kemp caught behind for 24, and Cobras were eventually dismissed for 229. O'Reilly finished with 3 for 61, but the Lions spinner Aaron Phangsio proved most economical, taking 1 for 31 in ten overs.

Despite maintaining their 100% win record, Lions captain Stephen Cook asked for improvement from his side. "We probably didn't play as well as we have the last few games," he said. "Perhaps we were a tad lucky to get over the line at the end, but that keeps everyone honest and working hard at their game."

The Cobras captain Ontong was disappointed with his team's batting. "I thought we didn't get a partnership going and, although a couple of the guys got starts, we just couldn't really kick on," he said. "We've got to do some hard work now and get some wins under our belts."

Cobras are third in the points table with one win in three games.

Match abandoned Dolphins 67 for 2 v Warriors
Scorecard

Only 17 overs were possible at Kingsmead before rain washed out the game between Dolphins and Warriors. After getting sent in to bat, Dolphins had reached 67 for 2, with Makhaya Ntini and Wayne Parnell striking for Warriors.

Neither team has won a match in the tournament so far and they are at the bottom of the points table.

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Chinthaka Jayasinghe quits cricket in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Twenty20 cricketer Chinthaka Jayasinghe has retired from first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, citing frustration with continued non-selection for the national team as a major reason. Jayasinghe, 34, played in five T20 matches from December 2009 to May 2010, making a high score of 38 from three innings in the lower-middle order. He played as a fast-bowling allrounder for his domestic sides, and has 104 wickets at 24.48, but did not bowl in internationals.

Jayasinghe said he has a contract to play domestic cricket in Australia during the southern summer, and another six-month contract to play in England next year. He was not among the 60 players offered an SLC contract in 2012 and he said this was central to his decision to move on.

"I have played 14 years of first-class cricket in Sri Lanka and it's saddening to see the SLC selectors favouring certain players who are proven failures," Jayasinghe said. "The way things are going, I feel like Sri Lanka cricket is not moving forward, especially after the seniors in the national team retire."

Jayasinghe played for the Uva Next franchise in the Sri Lanka Premier League, and last played first class-cricket for Bloomfield Cricket and Athletic club, having previously represented Burgher Recreation Club and Nondescripts Cricket Club.

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Watling repaying New Zealand's faith

In early 2011, BJ Watling's international record read like the careers of so many failed New Zealand openers before him. In the years after Nathan Astle, Mark Richardson and Stephen Fleming left the game, New Zealand seemed to trial a fresh opening prospect every six months. Michael Papps, Craig Cumming, Jamie How, Aaron Redmond and Tim McIntosh all arrived and wilted at the top level.

Some showed initial promise before quickly waning, but Watling barely made an impact. When he was jettisoned at the end of 2010, he had made only two fifties in 18 international innings, with a top score of 60 not out. His talent was undeniable in domestic cricket, but like Papps, How and Redmond, Watling seemed unable to adjust mentally. He was renowned at home for valuing his wicket and his sound defensive technique, but in internationals, his failures were populated by loose strokes and soft dismissals.

But unlike so many others, he wasn't forgotten altogether. Then New Zealand coach John Wright saw the raw materials of a good player in Watling, and paved his way back into internationals late last year. Soon, before he had even proven himself, Watling was being groomed for a specific long-term role. Brendon McCullum abandoned the gloves in Tests due to back problems, and after short-lived dalliance with Reece Young, Watling, Wright said, would be the man behind the stumps who could also strengthen New Zealand's batting.

He began to repay Wright's faith, hitting a century against Zimbabwe in his first Test as keeper, but sustained a hip injury before the real test came against touring South Africa. Kruger van Wyk took his place in the XI, and has not relinquished it since, having hammered out a reputation as a battler - exactly the quality a New Zealand top order veering towards spineless was short of.

Yet, although his international career had seemingly run aground again, against West Indies in July, Watling suddenly found the steel that had been lacking from his game, making consecutive fifties in the first two ODIs - the first time he had done so in his career. He was injured again after making 40 in the third match, but he had shown enough pluck for New Zealand's management to keep him in their plans. Against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Watling finally demonstrated what team management had seen in him for the past two years.

Watling may not have even played in the second ODI had Brendon McCullum not withdrawn with a stiff lower back, but as has been his recent habit, he did not squander the opportunity. New Zealand have adopted a conservative top order strategy in recent months, and Watling's steady 55 saw the venom leave the pitch and provided the platform for Ross Taylor to flourish after him.

In the next match, Watling had ground his way to 29 from 54, but soon after, both Taylor and James Franklin had fallen, and he took it upon himself to provide the finishing impetus, as he showcased a more belligerent facet of his game. The Watling that blasted 67 from 34 deliveries to close out the innings at 96 not out, suddenly seemed eons away from the player that had scratched his way through his first two years of international cricket. The offside gaps were pinpointed with purring strokes and the vacant areas in the legside targeted aerially. Lasith Malinga had tormented New Zealand in the previous match, but Watling dispatched him for three consecutive boundaries in the penultimate over of the innings.

"He took risks and he hit the ball in the air, it wasn't all along the ground," New Zealand captain Ross Taylor said of Watling's innings. "He showed the power game that he does have. He's getting a lot of belief in himself, I'm sure, from the way he's batted in the last two games, and half the battle at this level is self-belief."

Watling had taken 23 innings to compile three scores over 50, but he now has four half-centuries in five ODIs, with an average of 107.66. Some players ease their way into top-level cricket, and others burn hot from start to finish. Watling's abrupt torrent of runs suggests a dam has burst somewhere, and if he can sustain the deluge, he will remedy his record after two lean years.

"The way BJ is batting is outstanding and he just keeps growing and growing as a player It's terrific, not just for him but also the team," Taylor said. "He's not an automatic selection, but I'm sure the way he's played in the last little while, he's pushing for that."

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Chinouya ten-for gives Rhinos big win

Mid West Rhinos 398 (Taylor 132, Mickleburgh 112) beat Southern Rocks 149 (Chinouya 5-30) & 157 (Chinouya 5-46) by an innings and 92 runs
Scorecard

A ten-for from fast bowler Michael Chinouya helped Mid West Rhinos to an innings and 92-run win in their first Logan Cup of the season, against Southern Rocks at the Masvingo Sports Club. Chinouya took five wickets in each innings to finish with a career-best match haul of 10 for 76, and was ably backed up by batsmen Brendan Taylor and Jaik Mickleburgh in the thumping victory.

Rhinos chose to bowl and did not let any of the Rocks batsmen build big innings. None of the batsmen even got to a half-century, wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami's 45 being the top score as they were bowled out in 50 overs for 149. Rhinos began their innings strongly, with two half-century stands, but the bedrock of their total of 398 was the third-wicket stand of 187 between Taylor and Mickleburgh. That helped them to a lead of 249, which was comfortably beyond the Rocks line-up that failed a second time. Again it was only keeper Mutumbami who touched 40, and again they were bowled out in 50 overs, this time for 157.

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Petersen, Amla set strong foundation

Lunch South Africa 1 for 90 (Petersen 45*, Amla 29*) v Australia
Live scorecard and ball-by-ball details

South Africa reached a contented 1 for 90 at lunch after Australia's bowlers fluffed their lines somewhat on the opening morning of the first Test at the Gabba.

On a tacky pitch that offered some initial movement but will get get quicker as it dries a little more, Alviro Petersen and Hashim Amla established a firm foundation for the visitors despite the loss of the captain Graeme Smith to James Pattinson.

Apart from a brief spell either side of Smith's wicket in which Pattinson and Peter Siddle found the ideal length and line to cause discomfort, neither batsman was particularly troubled, Ben Hilfenhaus lacking the incisiveness he showed last summer, despite tidy figures.

Nathan Lyon found bounce and spin but was not allowed to settle by Amla, leaving the prospect of a long day ahead for Michael Clarke's team unless some wickets can be found on resumption.

Hoping to find some early movement after Smith chose to bat first, Australia's bowlers made an indifferent start. Hilfenhaus and Pattinson were too short and too straight in the early overs, allowing Smith and Petersen the chance to tuck several deliveries away to the legside.

The home side's nerves were conveyed by a frivolous decision referral when a Hilfenhaus delivery brushed Smith's pad on the way through to Matthew Wade down the legside, leaving them with only one more for the remainder of the innings.

As he also did at times last summer, Siddle showed the way by bowling a little fuller and extracting some more deviation from the surface. With the last ball of the innings' 10th over he fizzed one past Petersen's bat on the ideal length, and Pattinson paid attention.

Swung around to the end from which he nipped out five New Zealand batsmen in the second innings of the corresponding Test last year, Pattinson's first ball of a new spell straightened on off stump to Smith, who looked palpably lbw. The umpire Billy Bowden was unconvinced, but an incandescent Pattinson encouraged a referral that had Bowden's finger belatedly raised.

Amla was greeted initially by a round the wicket line of attack, but was desperately close to another lbw when Pattinson returned to more conventional tactics. Petersen was meanwhile playing unobtrusively and well, making use of the pull shot whenever the bowlers dropped short and rotating strike intelligently.

Lyon's introduction revealed plenty of bounce and some turn on the first morning, but Petersen and Amla showed plenty of attacking intent to keep the spinner from settling. Amla advanced to crash a straight six, and by the interval was looking ominous in the way familiar to England.

The tourists had gone against expectations by leaving out the legspinner Imran Tahir, instead handing a debut to the seamer Rory Kleinveldt. Smith explained that the allrounder Jacques Kallis was carrying a niggle and may not be able to bowl his usual quota.

Australia chose to go in with three quicks and the spin of Lyon, the left-armer Mitchell Starc missing out. They too have a debutant, the No. 3 batsman Rob Quiney, who was presented with his baggy green cap by the former Australia captain Allan Border.

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Three first-choice bowlers to miss final warm up

Graeme Swann, England's premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.

"This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time," the ECB said in a statement.

The development means England will be without three of their first choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from injury.

Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10 overs in the second. Finn's injury is thought to be the more serious and he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.

England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other seamers with the squad.

"It's unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game," Graham Gooch, England's batting coach said. "They've both got injuries, and I don't think they're going to be ready for this game.

"With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can take time to clear up. You've got to see how it goes each day, whether it gets better with the rest - keep checking it and see how it comes on. There's no other way of going about it really."

There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen. England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three players - Meaker and Samit Patel were the others - to take advantage of some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by Pietersen's determination to prove his worth upon his return to the team.

With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen's determination is renewed and his motivation high. "I know Kevin is focused," Gooch said. "I've seen the way he's been practising. A fit and strong Kevin Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.

"He's looking forward. What's in the past is in the past. The only thing that counts is what's in the future - what he's going to do, how he's going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he's looking to give.

"I don't think it's an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is working, he's looking forward to this tour."

While it is anticipated that England's batsmen will face a trial by spin in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India's seam attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges, the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and shouting.

"We're not majoring on spin," Gooch said. "That's not the only type of bowling we're going to face. They've got two very good opening bowlers, two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two spinners.

"Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there's been some wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of weeks we've been here.

"Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you come up with different ideas. There's a bit of noise there, a little idea to make it slightly different. You're looking to motivate, to push the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different ideas. It's not a major thing, just something that's a little bit different.

"I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It's a wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game - with the advent of the IPL - has created even more excitement. We know India are a top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one, and you don't do that without putting on consistent performances. But we've come here to win the series; we've not come here to make up the numbers."

While only one new face - probably Nick Compton - is anticipated in the team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.

"It's going to be quite a difficult selection," Gooch said. "Our guys are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one new face.

"Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset.

"The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I've seen - this is the first time I've seen him close up - and he bowls a bit. So it's going to be quite a difficult selection.

"Then you've got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want people to be putting their hand up and saying 'I want that place in the side'."

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Little mystery, much anticipation

Match facts

November 9-13, the Gabba
Start time 1000 (0000 GMT)

Big Picture

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 Austrlaian 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 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 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.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Australia WDWWW
South Africa WDWDW

In the spotlight

Called on to take the gloves in unfortunate circumstances in England, AB de Villiers' back grew stiffer with each match, and his batting contributions were handy rather than dominant. He has had more time to rest and prepare for taking the gloves in this series, and will be eager to prove that as wicketkeeper he can still make the kinds of scores that marked him as one of the world's best and most dangerous batsmen.

David Warner has escaped much of the scrutiny attached to his opening partner Ed Cowan, but with only one half century in his past eight innings needs to prove his hyper aggressive methods can work consistently at Test level. West Indies and England both did well against Warner earlier this year by pursuing a rigid line and length angled across him towards the slips, while the opener's tendency to get involved in verbal confrontations will also have been noted by South Africa. Shane Watson's injury leaves Warner the most senior batsman in the Australian top three.

Team news

Ben Hilfenhaus, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are duelling for two spots. Hilfenhaus led the attack with Peter Siddle last year but has only played one first-class match since April. Starc has been a dominant Twenty20 bowler but is still coming to grips with the red ball. Lyon has few wickets behind him entering the Test and forecast Gabba rain may keep the pitch fresh and the pace bowlers dangerous throughout. Ricky Ponting has shrugged off a hamstring niggle.

Australia (possible): 1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Rob Quiney, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke (capt), 6 Michael Hussey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Peter Siddle, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus/Mitchell Starc, 11 Nathan Lyon.

South Africa's team is settled, and likely to be unchanged from the XI that defeated England at Lord's to take the series and top spot on the ICC's rankings.

South Africa (possible): 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Morne Morkel, 10 Dale Steyn, 11 Imran Tahir.

Pitch and conditions

The Gabba curator Kevin Mitchell jnr. has predicted a slightly drier surface than that prepared for last year's Test against New Zealand, increasing the likelihood of a fifth day finish and the involvement of the spinners. However some cloud and rain is predicted over the next five days, and Clarke admitted on match eve he was now considering four quicks more seriously.

Stats and trivia

• South Africa will retain top spot on the ICC Test rankings with a drawn series. Australia will claim top spot from them with a series win
• This is South Africa's first Test match at the Gabba since 1963
• Michael Clarke needs 55 runs to go past Neil Harvey, another fleet-footed batsman, on Australia's all-time list of Test run scorers

Quotes

"We know how good South Africa is and respect them for it but we also know we can beat them. We are confident in our ability to beat anyone, anywhere, any time if we play at our best."
Michael Clarke strikes a confident note

"We have looked at areas that we can exploit within the Australian team as they would do with us. We feel that if we can put pressure on them in certain areas then we can make some plays in those big moments, that is ultimately what the Test series is going to boil down to."
Gary Kirsten on South Africa's planning.

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