As you know, we won the toss and elected to bat and so far the Perth wicket is not disappointing. The bounce and seem movement have the batters in a bit of a fix. All said and done though, I think a fair reflection of our innings would be at the conclusion of the Aussie innings.
Fact is, the Aussies are under pressure, following the 3-0 loss against Sri Lanka in a test series and also the solid hiding in South Africa recently.
The pressure is on them at home and if the Proteas can apply the necessary, I think we could be in for a fantastic series. De Kock and Faf du Plessis in the batting department and Steyn for the bowling, is key. If Steyn does well, Rabada and Philander will feed of that and back him up.
The captaincy of Du Plessis also seemed to have a positive effect on the team and dare I say it – a test series win will have some interesting dynamics when AB de Villiers returns.
My prediction for this test – bear in mind this is written before the Aussies go into bat on day 1 – the test won’t see 5 days – more like three and a half, or at most the last session of the 4th day. With a result possible either way – It will take a huge second innings from the Proteas though as I am quite confident the Aussies will have a lead after the first innings.
