It’s been the most tumultuous week in memory for Australia, but at the end of it, they still have to front up and play the fourth and final Test against a red-hot South Africa in front of what is likely to be a Johannesburg crowd.

Test cricket is supposed to be the ultimate battle between bat and ball, but this is going to be so much more than that for the tourists.

As announced on Wednesday night (AEDT), captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner will be suspended from the game for 12 months, while Cameron Bancroft faces nine months on the sidelines for their respective roles in the ball-tampering scandal which rocked the Aussies in Cape Town.

It didn’t help, with the tourists falling behind, then losing an embarrassing 10 for 50 on their way to a horrendous 322-run defeat.

The penalties have received mixed results from fans and the media. I’m firmly of the view that it’s far too long, but regardless, they were always going to be out of this fourth Test with Australia facing a daunting task to compete in Johannesburg as we turn our attention back to the cricket.

Johannesburg – the Wanderers – is typically one of the greener South African wickets and carries one of the more hostile crowds to go with it.

The three men to come into the team are formerly discarded Queensland opening duo Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw, who on Tuesday guided the Bulls to victory in the Sheffield Shield final, along with Victorian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

Whether Peter Handscomb (who has already been in South Africa) plays appears to be up in the air, but there would seem no other point to flying three players across the Indian Ocean if Handscomb was going to be in the XI.

Taking the mantle as captain will be wicketkeeper Tim Paine. If there has ever been a tougher initiation for a skipper, I’d like to hear about it.

Wicketkeepers are generally avoided as options to captain due to the added workload, but Australia were plainly out of options. In fact, Mitchell Marsh is almost certainly the vice-captain, even if it hasn’t been announced publicly – it was either him or the struggling Usman Khawaja.

In the opposition camp, the Proteas are settled and will be looking to heap the pain on Australia before their trip home, which you’d assume will come promptly following the conclusion of this fourth Test.

With AB de Villiers in fine form, Dean Elgar having runs behind him and Kagiso Rabada being at his firey best, South Africa look close to unbeatable at home.

Their scores of 311 and 373 were well above what was needed in the first Test. While question marks still loom after Pat Cummins ran through them in the first innings, the second innings was all class in Cape Town with Aidan Markram, de Villiers and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock all contributing solidly.

Like all grounds around South Africa, Australia have a strong record at the Wanderers. They have won six of their 11 matches played there, including all of the last four.

In another peculiar stat about this match, the last time an Australian team played without both Warner and Smith, it was in Johannesburg during 2011, with Australia winning that Test by two wickets.

The history

Last three matches in Johannesburg
2011, November 17-21: Australia won by 2 wickets
2009, February 26 – Match 2: Australia won by 162 runs
2006, March 31 – April 4: Australia won by 2 wickets

Last five series
2016-17 in Australia: South Africa defeat Australia 2-1 (three-match series)
2014 in South Africa: Australia defeat South Africa 2-1 (three-match series)
2012-13 in Australia: South Africa defeat Australia 1-0 (three-match series)
2012 in South Africa: South Africa drew Australia 1-1 (two-match series)
2009 in South Africa: Australia defeat South Africa 2-1 (three-match series)
Total: South Africa 2, Australia 2, drawn 1

Total matches head-to-head: Played 97, Australia 52, South Africa 25, drawn 20
Total series head-to-head: Played 26, Australia 16, South Africa 5, drawn 5
Total matches in South Africa: Played 55, Australia 36, South Africa 9, drawn 10
Total series in South Africa: Played 14, Australia 11, South Africa 2, drawn 1
Total matches at Johannesburg: Played 11, Australia 6, South Africa 3, drawn 2
South Africa vs all opponents at Johannesburg: Played 38, South Africa 15, Other nations 12, drawn 11

How do Australia recover?
This is the question which will define Australia’s match. Can they rise from the dust and compete? Will their mental will to draw a series in which they know they can’t win the trophy be enough?

For those coming outside the squad – Renshaw, Burns and Maxwell – it may well be. For the rest, they will be tired and over the hostility created by the ball-tampering mess.

Tim Paine has an incredibly tough job to do leading the side behind the stumps, but this is Test cricket. If the Aussies don’t turn up, they will have their pants pulled down in an embarrassingly big defeat.

The first step to recovering from this mess is a good start. Get that, and they can start to build some confidence, which is something completely lacking from the side we saw during Day 4 in Cape Town when they showed no energy in the field and then were skittled within three hours.

From there, it’s application. It’s doing the little things right, putting in 100 per cent effort and not letting the crowd get on top. If they can somehow manage that, half the battle will be won.

Questions still loom over Proteas’ middle order
The South African first innings in Cape Town saw a dramatic collapse of 6 for 37. Pat Cummins tore through them like a cyclone, with the side reduced to just 311 in the first innings. As it turned out, that score was more than enough, but they will still be keen to answer questions over the middle order.

There were soft dismissals regularly, with Elgar the only shining light on an otherwise miserable afternoon against the old ball.

It’s been an achilles heel of South Africa at times, that their middle order can’t contribute. Normally, someone pulls through, and with Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers and de Kock all in the side, there is far too much talent not to get a decent score.

Yet, it’s happened. Three of those players are getting on in age and so, with Australia’s bowlers at least, likely to be fired up as they attempt to prove a point, the only thing stopping South Africa from winning this match is seemingly not scoring enough runs.

If it’s green, four quicks may be the way for South Africa
As already noted, the Australian batting order face a real struggle to score runs in the fourth Test, and it wouldn’t matter what sort of pitch the match is played on.

But the Wanderers is the worst destination Australia could have picked. When the Proteas hosted a touring Indian side there earlier this year, only one innings made it past 200 and the match was almost called off due to a dangerous pitch.

If that’s the case again – and it almost certainly will be given what the tourists have gone through this week – then South Africa should consider playing four quicks.

The option against India saw Vernon Philander moved up to number seven, with Keshav Maharaj maintaining his place in the side. The reason that tactic hasn’t been sighted against Australia is because they have been more fearful of the attack – which is significantly better in those conditions than what India could produce.

But on a green top, with Australia reeling, South Africa should surely see an opportunity to go for the kill. Lungi Ngidi looked superb when played ahead of Morne Morkel during the second Test and could add another genuine pace option. It weakens their batting, but tail runs could be few and far between anyway, so wickets coming thick and fast will be crucial throughout.

Can Joe Burns and Matt Renshaw score runs at the top?
One minute you’re in the middle at Alan Border Field guiding Queensland to a Sheffield Shield win, the next you’re on a plane halfway across the world to South Africa.

That’s been the story this week for Burns and Renshaw, who both looked in magnificent touch during the final of Australia’s premier domestic competition.

Scoring runs against Tasmania on a road and scoring them against the best international attack in world cricket on a likely green top though are two very different things.

They will have to deal with adversity, jet lag and a cauldron on arrival. The two Queenslanders have both played international cricket, so they have that going for them, but very little else. It’s a lost cause in terms of winning the series, and neither have had time to adapt to the conditions ahead of the first ball.

I’d be more than happy to be proven wrong, but Australia could get off to a disastrous start when asked to bat.

Josh Hazlewood is the key if Australia are to mount any sort of challenge
Whether the pitch is green or not, Josh Hazlewood is consistent, accurate and puts the ball in the right place more often than not.

Unfortunately, 12 wickets at 26.88 don’t indicate Hazlewood has been among the best bowlers in the series, especially when Kagiso Rabada has been so good.

Still, without a standout performance, consistency is still there for the man who has been compared to one of Australia’s greatest ever quicks, Glenn McGrath.

For Australia to win this Test, he needs to take plenty of wickets. Mitchell Starc has been out of form and struggling unless the ball has been reversing, Pat Cummins has been a little out of sorts apart from the bag he took in Cape Town and Nathan Lyon has been ineffective when not bowling to left-handers.

This is a daunting task for Australia, so coming into the match out of form isn’t a good way to go about it.

Hazlewood will bowl long spells, but he needs to be on the money. The little bit of nibble he gets off the deck when at times others get nothing will be crucial, as will the pressure he builds on South Africa’s high-scoring, free-flowing middle order.

Key game information: South Africa vs Australia third Test

Dates: Friday March 30 – Tuesday April 2
First ball: Day 1-2, 7pm (AEDT), Day 3 – 5, 6pm (AEST)
Venue: Wanderers, Cape Town
TV: Live, Fox Sports
Online: Live, Foxtel app or Foxtel now
Betting: Australia $2.11, South Africa $2.550, Draw $5.85
Umpires: Ian Gould and Nigel Llong

Series so far
1st Test: Australia won by 118 runs at Kingsmead, Durban
2nd Test: South Africa won by 6 wickets at St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth
3rd Test: South Africa won by 322 runs at Newlands, Cape Town

Likely XIs and squads

South Africa
1. Dean Elgar
2. Aiden Markam
3. Hashim Amla
4. Faf Du Plessis (c)
5. AB De Villiers
6. Temba Bavuma
7. Quinton De Kock (wk)
8. Vernon Philander
9. Keshav Maharaj
10. Kagiso Rabada
11. Morne Morkel
Rest of squad: Theunis de Bruyn, Heinrich Klaasen, Willem Mulder, Lungi Ngidi

Australia
1. Joe Burns
2. Matt Renshaw
3. Usman Khawaja
4. Shaun Marsh
5. Mitchell Marsh
6. Glenn Maxwell
7. Tim Paine (wk)
8. Mitchell Starc
9. Pat Cummins
10. Josh Hazlewood
11. Nathan Lyon
Rest of squad: Peter Handscomb, Jon Holland, Jhye Richardson, Chadd Sayers

Hours of play

Prediction

This is going to be an absolute drubbing. Australia are going to have three players who have been in the country for just over 48 hours come the first ball. The rest of the squad have been in what can only be described as a hostile environment, taking a bombardment from the press and fans.

Add to that, the Proteas have zero pressure on them. The trophy is already in their grasp, the batsmen have found form and the issues of Durban are nothing but a distant memory.

It would appear from the outside looking in that all Australia will want to do is get home as quickly as possible – maybe with the exception of a few players pushing for spots moving forward.

Regardless, the hosts will confirm their status at the top of world cricket and indeed, in this series, taking it 3-1.

South Africa to win inside three days.

Don’t forget, The Roar will have live coverage and highlights of every day during Australia’s tour of South Africa.