Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson [Reuters] Reuters

South Africa will begin their conquest for victory in the first of the three test matches scheduled against Australia at the SuperSport Park in Centurion on Wednesday.

Where to Watch Live

The play is scheduled to start at 8:30am GMT on Wednesday. Live coverage will be available on Sky Sports 2 HD. Follow the live text updates of the game on ESPN Cricinfo.

Overview

South Africa last played a test match on this ground nearly a year ago, emerging triumphant against Pakistan to complete a 3-0 series victory in the three-match series.

However, the Proteas come into Wednesday's clash on home soil on the back of a 1-0 victory in the two-match test series against India played last year.

The first game against India ended in a draw but AB de Villiers side displayed exceptional batting performance to ensure home side's victory in the second test. South Africa posted a total of 500 in the first innings as a reply to the visitors' total of 334 runs.

However, Proteas' bowlers Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn nabbed three wickets each while Robin Peterson took four wickets to send MS Dhoni's side packing for just 223 runs in the second innings, to leave their team a target of just 59 runs to win the game on the final day of the match.

However, the biggest loss for the home side could be the absence of Jacques Kallis who announced his retirement from the long form of the game in December last year.

Meanwhile, Australia are highly upbeat ahead of the test match against South Africa having whitewashed England 5-0 in the Ashes Test series. Mitchell Johnson was the star for Michael Clarke's side in the Ashes with a haul of 37 wickets in five matches which eventually earned him the Player of the Series award along with three Man of the Match accolades in the first, second and fourth test.

Australia also registered successive victories in the One Day International (ODI) and the Twenty20 International (T20I) series that followed the Ashes humiliation. The home side won the five-match ODI series 4-1 and sealed a 3-0 victory in the three-match T20I series that followed.

Both sides will be hoping to carry on their winning momentum and Cricket fans will be in for a real treat as the first and the third placed teams in the ICC test rankings go head-to-head in the three matches.

Odds by 888Sport

Match to finish as a draw – Industry best 7/2

Top Batsman

  • AB De Villiers – Industry best 7/2
  • Alex Doolan – Industry best 6/1

Top Bowler

  • Morne Morkel – Industry best 7/2
  • Nathan Lyon – Industry best 11/2

Team News

South Africa

Probable Lineup: Graeme Smith (c), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, AB de Villiers (wk), Jean-Paul Duminy, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Morne Morkel

Australia

Probable Lineup: Chris Rogers, David Warner, Alex Doolan, Michael Clarke (c), Steven Smith, Shaun Marsh, Brad Haddin (wk), Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon

South Africa Australia