Australia opt to bowl, Edwards debuts, Green, Starc, Hazlewood return
Jack Edwards will make his ODI debut • Getty Images
An Australian attack led by Mitchell Starc will make first use of any morning moisture at Kingsmead to kick off a huge summer of international cricket in South Africa. The ODI is the first of nine in a season that also includes eight Tests and three T20Is and forms part of the start of preparations for next year's ODI World Cup.
Blue skies greeted the teams on a public holiday in South Africa: Heritage Day, which is a celebration of the diversity of cultures in the country. A good crowd is expected in Durban, which has not hosted a men's ODI since a rain-out against England in February 2020.
As expected, Pat Cummins has been rested for this match with seam-bowling allrounder Jack Edwards handed his first ODI cap. Australia also welcomed back Cameron Green, who missed the entire Zimbabwe series with a shoulder concern, and plays in place of a misfiring Alex Carey. How much Green bowls remains to be seen. Oliver Peake has also been squeezed out of the XI while Josh Hazlewood returns after being rested from the third ODI in Zimbabwe.
South Africa, hamstrung by the absence of four frontline bowlers, went with both their left-arm spinners in an XI that also included three seamers. Gerald Coetzee will play his first ODI since the 2023 World Cup semi-final and will share the seam load with Marco Jansen and Corbin Bosch.
They also unveiled a new-look batting line-up studded with left-handers. Tony de Zorzi was carded to open the batting with Quinton de Kock, who has made himself available for all South Africa's ODIs leading up to the World Cup, with Ryan Rickelton and David Miller making up the middle-order. Temba Bavuma put himself at No.3 with no room for Tristan Stubbs.
South Africa: 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Tony de Zorzi, 3 Temba Bavuma (capt), 4 Matthew Breetzke, 5 Ryan Rickelton, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Corbin Bosch, 9 Gerald Coetzee, 10 Bjorn Fortuin, 11 Keshav Maharaj
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Josh Inglis (wk), 5 Matt Renshaw, 6 Cameron Green, 7 Jack Edwards, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Firdose Moonda is Cricinfo's senior correspondent for Africa and women's cricket
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