AUSTRALIA SEEK FAST START IN MORE FAMILIAR CLIMES

FOLLOWING a Sri Lanka tour that was at times traumatic and at others more encouraging, there is an undoubted sense of anticipation among Australia’s cricketers about playing in more familiar South African climes. It is no mystery that this is the country where Australia have enjoyed the most away success over the past 20 years or so, for there is minimal adjustment to be made from Australian surfaces. That being said, batsmen and bowlers who strove for weeks to come to grips with Asian pitches and Sri Lanka’s phalanx of spin bowlers will now have to adjust back “up” to a little more bounce, pace and quantities of seam bowling.

So too will Australia’s captain Steven Smith need to build a rapport with some new pace-bowling assets, after the decision to rest both Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood from this tour. Daniel Worrall, Joe Mennie and Chris Tremain have all performed well for their states, but the shift to international-level scrutiny and responsibility always stretches the mental resources of young cricketers. A meeting with Ireland in South Africa may be to the slightly less demanding end of the international cricketing scale, but Smith will need to make sure his bowling attack is in good discipline nonetheless. They are being mentored, too, by a new figure - David Saker, the former England bowling coach, is on his first tour as Darren Lehmann’s assistant.

Ireland, meanwhile, have been stung by a heavy defeat at the hands of South Africa, and will want to make amends against opponents who have also served as useful allies in terms of encouraging this emerging team’s rise to the cusp of full international status in the game. The flip side of administrative assistance from Cricket Australia has been several bruising defeats for William Porterfield’s men, but it should also be stated that last year ended in a creditable 23-run margin of defeat. Whether the Irish can better that result against an Australian side gearing up to face South Africa will soon be known. IN THE SPOTLIGHT: When he returned home after the first two ODIs in Sri Lanka looked, for the first time in his brief Australian captaincy tenure, like he needed a break. This was as much a mental refresh as a physical one, ensuring his mind would be cleared of the failings of the Test side in Asia ahead of assignments in contrasting conditions. David Warner shone as stand-in captain during Smith’s absence, and the full-time leader will be eager to reassert his primacy in charge by starting well against Ireland. He has spoken of wanting the Australian side to be under his leadership, and it will be fascinating to see how far chests are puffed out at Benoni. Celebrations of a dramatic County Championship victory with Middlesex did not stop from fronting up for Ireland against South Africa a few days later. He put in a reasonable shift too, going for fewer than six runs an over as South Africa teed off against other members of the Ireland attack. Against an Australian side new in the country and coming off a trip to Sri Lanka, it will be up to Murtagh in particular to probe for weaknesses in techniques that must now revert to more conventional, harder-wicket methods.

Australia will have at least one debutant from the uncapped pace trio of Chris Tremain, Joe Mennie and Daniel Worrall.

Who was forced to sit out the match against South Africa because he slipped and hit his head in the bathroom before the game, has been ruled out of the Australia game with a concussion.* Andy McBrine is a possible inclusion for Ireland should they wish to change things up after the heavy loss to South Africa.