Proteas face Australia’s biggest weapons

South Africa will know there is very little room for error against this Australian side.

The Proteas got the better of them in last year’s World Test Championship final, but Australia still have some of the best Test players in the world.

Here are five players South Africa will need to keep quiet.

Steve Smith

There will be plenty of attention on Smith when he walks out to bat in South Africa again.

This will be his first Test series in the country since the controversial 2018 tour, when he was sent home following the ball-tampering scandal at Newlands and subsequently banned for 12 months by Cricket Australia. His last Test appearance in South Africa came in that third Test in Cape Town.

Eight years later, he returns as one of the finest batters of his generation.

Smith has scored more than 10,000 Test runs and has built a career around occupying the crease and making bowlers work for his wicket.

South Africa saw that again in last year’s World Test Championship final when he made 66 in Australia’s first innings.

There will be plenty happening around Smith in this series, but for the Proteas the job is simple. Do not let him settle.

Once he starts manipulating the field and working bowlers away from their plans, he becomes incredibly difficult to control.

Travis Head

Head is probably the Australian batter most capable of changing a game in one session.

The left-hander has become one of Australia’s most aggressive Test players and South Africa already know how dangerous he can be.

During the 2022-23 series in Australia, Head scored 213 runs at 53.25 and struck at more than 100 across the three Tests.

His 92 at the Gabba was the standout.

South Africa had Australia under pressure, but Head immediately went after the bowling and shifted the momentum.

That is what makes him such a threat.

Even if the Proteas have Australia three or four down, Head can arrive and completely change the feel of the game within 30 minutes.

Keeping him quiet early could be just as important as getting him out.

Pat Cummins

Cummins remains the heartbeat of Australia’s attack.

The Australian captain has been one of the most consistent fast bowlers in Test cricket for years and rarely gives batters much to work with.

South Africa also have a recent reminder of what he can do.

Cummins took 6-28 in the Proteas’ first innings of the World Test Championship final at Lord’s, briefly putting Australia in control of the match.

He can hurt teams in different ways.

Cummins can attack the stumps, use the short ball or simply sit on a difficult length until a batter makes a mistake.

Against a Proteas batting lineup that will already have Starc and Hazlewood to worry about, his ability to keep the pressure on makes him even more dangerous.

Mitchell Starc

Starc might be 36, but the left-armer remains one of the biggest new-ball threats in Test cricket.

He also knows exactly what it takes to succeed at Kingsmead.

Starc took 5-35 in South Africa’s first innings during Australia’s victory in Durban in 2018 and finished that Test with nine wickets.

His first spell could again be one of the biggest challenges facing the Proteas.

The left-arm angle is already uncomfortable, but when Starc starts swinging the ball back into the right-handers at pace, bowled and lbw are constantly in play.

South Africa cannot afford to hand him two or three early wickets.

If they can survive that opening spell, the game looks very different.

Josh Hazlewood

Hazlewood does not always get the same attention as Starc and Cummins, but he could be just as difficult to deal with at Kingsmead.

His biggest weapon is his control.

Hazlewood can keep hitting the same area outside off stump for over after over and wait for the batter to make the mistake.

If there is any movement around Durban, that becomes even more dangerous.

The Proteas might get through Starc’s first spell, but there is no real release when Hazlewood takes over from the other end.

South Africa beat Australia at Lord’s last year.

To do it again, they will have to find answers for five players who can change a Test very quickly.

Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images