Australia sealed the series, David Warner is back in form and a spot in the World Test Championship Finals is all but sealed. They didn’t make it without scars though. While South Africa went down, Anrich Nortje gave a lot of effort to ensure he takes a few Australians down with him. As a result of some tough periods, Cameron Green and Mitchell Starc are out of the SCG Test with injuries, allowing Australia to rotate their bowlers ahead of the India challenge.

South Africa, with this series loss are now in a tough position with regards to the WTC. They lost their first Test series in Australia since 2006. and now bleak hopes of making the Finals. Their batting is a huge concern too as the batting line-up is in shambles. Keegan Peterson is likely to comeback in the future but the others are still an issue. With the bowling, Rabada could not stick to his line and length while Anrich Nortje was left with a lot to do.

AUS vs SA Match Details

Date: January 4th, 2023

Time:  5:00 AM IST

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground

AUS vs SA Weather Report

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

AUS vs SA Pitch Report

The Sydney pitch is traditionally drier and could help spinners more, prompting Australia to play an extra spinner. The last few season though has seen the SCG produce draws. Batting first still remains a better option as it will help extract any wear on offer in the track.

AUS vs SA Head-to-Head

Played- 100 | Australia -54 | 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, Matt Renshaw/ Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, 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

Josh Hazlewood

The last year and a half has not been the best for Josh Hazlewood, the Test Cricketer. As a bowler in Test Cricket he is up there with Starc and Cummins. Injuries and the rise of Boland though are forcing Hazlewood onto the sidelines. He now gets a chance back in the eleven again, and will be eager to ensure he stays in the eleven even when Australia head to India in a month.

Anrich Nortje

Anrich Nortje was the only South African to provide some spark in the previous game. He has the pace for Australian tracks and the pace worked well as he bounced some Australians onto the back foot. With consistent spells in the 150kph mark, Anrich Nortje is turning the heat up, but will want some more support as the bowlers are the ones who need to carry South Africa, who are not doing great with the bat.

See Also: Virat Kohli Re-Announces Himself as the Chase Master – Cricket Winner

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