Australia blew past the West Indies with ease, but their summer challenge will truly begin now. South Africa may not have the power they did in 2016, or in 2018 too, but they have a lot of strong characters who do not give up easily. The upcoming series is the first Test Encounter between the two sides after the infamous Sandpaper gate series that took place in 2018.

Ever since then, Steve Smith and David Warner went through their time while Marnus Labuschagne has also grown considerably after missing the trip that year. South Africa too have gone through some changes. They last toured Australia back in 2016, and very few of their players from that trip are still in the squad today. There has been some growth though with the likes of Elgar, Maharaj, Rabada and Bavuma improving nicely through the seasons.

AUS vs SA Match Details

Date: December 17th 2022

Time:  5:50 AM IST

Venue: Brisbane

AUS vs SA Weather Report

The Weather at Brisbane is pretty good for the upcoming game.

AUS vs SA Pitch Report

The Gabba is known to be a fortress for Australia. The tracks is arguable the fastest and bounciest in Australia, but does allow support to both pace and spin as the game progresses. Batting first is a better option.

AUS vs SA Head-to-Head

Played- 98 | Australia -52 | South Africa – 26 | Draw- 20 | Tie- 0

AUS vs SA Predicted Playing XI

Australia Playing XI

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon

South Africa Playing XI

Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, Temba Bavuma, Rassie Van Der Dussen, Khaya Zondo, Kyle Verreynne, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Lungi Ngidi

AUS vs SA Key Players

Steve Smith

If there is one team which can say they have the edge against Steve Smith that would be South Africa. Their edge over him is not the greatest but it is certainly better than other teams. His battle against Kagiso Rabada in particular is an interesting one, and could well decide how the series goes.

Kagiso Rabada

Kagiso Rabada impressed on his first visit to Australia in 2016, when he had an increased workload after Dale Steyn went off with a broken arm. He is now a lot more mature and will be eager to use the bounce on the Gabba track.

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AUS vs SA Match Tips

South Africa won their last two Test series in Australia but both were a long way behind. They are still a pretty good side, but the Australian team is always tough to face at home and with Marnus Labuschagne going really well South Africa have their worth cut out.

Match Prediction: Australia Will Win the Match