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Australia and South Africa will face each other in the third and final Test of their series at the Adelaide Oval, in what will be a day-night fixture. You can follow the live scores and blog of this first day’s play right here on The Roar from 2:30pm (AEDT).
With the series already lost, Australia will be looking to play for pride but, vitally, they are also playing to make sense of where they are headed with their Test squad. With three debutants to featuring in this third Test of the series, along with two other changes to their XI, things could get interesting.
Since Australia had the better of the first day of the opening Test in Perth, the Proteas have dominated the series, winning by 177 runs at the WACA in Perth, and by an innings and 80 runs in Tasmania.
The comprehensive victory in Tasmania which sealed the series came despite losing the whole of the second day to rain. Australia were skittled for just 85 when batting first with only two of their batsmen posting double figure scores, and Vernon Philander taking 5/21.
The tourists replied with 326, Quinton de Kock scoring a century and Josh Hazlewood the pick of the bowlers with 6/89, which proved to be more than enough against an Australian side that seemed to lack both the technique and the stomach for the fight required to get back into the contest.
Second time around, the hosts fared little better, managing just 161 all out, the match finishing with more than a day to spare.
The Australian selectors have taken drastic action in an attempt to stop the rot and turn their fortunes around. The starting XI in Adelaide will show five changes from that in Tasmania, and will have three debutant batsmen in the top six in the order.
Matt Renshaw will open the innings alongside David Warner, while Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson will try and shore up the middle order.
Wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, who fought harder than most in the second Test, unluckily loses out as Matthew Wade earns a recall, and quickie Jackson Bird returns to the side in place of Joe Mennie as the hosts bid to avoid a whitewash in series of more than two matches on home soil for the first time ever.
South Africa have had to endure controversy of their own. Captain Faf du Plessis was fined for ball-tampering, although he denies cheating and will appeal the penalty handed down by the ICC.
That aside, what that did was to bring the entire team together and du Plessis will they are able to present a united face for this third Test match as well.
Be sure to join The Roar from 2:30pm (AEDT) for live scores and commentary for the entire first day’s play of the day-night Test between Australia and South Africa.
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