Bats hold the key to series
AUSTRALIAN cricket coach Mickey Arthur has foreshadowed a torrid pace showdown in the Test series against South Africa, but says it will give some of his top six batsmen the opportunity to forge long careers.
Five of the world’s top nine ranked Test bowlers will play in the three-match series in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth next month and early December.
The Proteas will unleash a pace attack including Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel, ranked first, second and ninth, respectively. Australia has numbers six and seven in Ben Hilfenhaus (sixth) and Peter Siddle (seventh) and plenty more to back them up.
Veterans Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Clint McKay will vie for spots with rising stars James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
‘‘It’s definitely the two best pace attacks in the world going head to head,’’ Arthur said in Sydney yesterday.
‘‘It’s going to be about the batters — about which top six can adapt better and which top six is going to be more consistent over a threeTest series.’’