Johannesburg — The Proteas will know to judge Australia’s players by their deeds and not their words.
This is, given the accounts of the Australian players, a different team, not as wound up as the group that toured South Africa in 2018. “We definitely play our cricket differently. I expect this series to be played in a lot better spirit, I kind of know it will be,” said opener Usman Khawaja.
To be fair to Khawaja he is much too nice a bloke to get involved in any provocative behaviour.
In 2018, the Proteas heard all about how the Australians wouldn’t cross the line — they’d get close to it, “headbutt it” as Nathan Lyon explained — but they wouldn't cross that line. Until they did in Durban. And following that infamous incident on the stairwell at Kingsmead, they, through Tim Paine, still defended their “close to the line” approach, until it blew up in their faces at Newlands.
So the Proteas are quite entitled to wait and observe just how “different” Australia have become. The proof is there that Australian teams say one thing, and then do another.
Dean Elgar expects the three-match Test series that starts at the Gabba on Saturday (2.20am SA time) to be spicy. “Purely because we are playing there, I think it will still be pretty feisty,” the Proteas captain said.
On Thursday, interim coach Malibongwe Maketa held a press conference at the Gabba where he was asked if he believed the Australians when they said they would not be going the “verbal route,” but if they did, how would the Proteas respond. “We will always fight fire with fire,” Maketa said, chuckling. “It doesn’t take much for our guys to step up when need be. We saw that when they were at home. We can’t control what Australia do, all we can control is our business. For us it's about executing to the best of our ability.”
Maketa was Ottis Gibson’s assistant during that infamous 2018 series, so he knows full well how to judge the Australians.
Elgar, Temba Bavuma, Keshav Maharaj and Kagiso Rabada are the survivors in the Proteas team of the Newlands Test that year, while six players likely to start at the Gabba for Australia remain, including two of the chief protagonists from that match; Steve Smith and David Warner.
Normally the latter wouldn’t hesitate to light the fuse, but he has got plenty to occupy his mind at the moment — just with matters related to his batting — so is unlikely to engage in any verbal jousting. Warner averages just 23.00 in Tests this year and last made a century nearly three years ago.
Maketa reiterated that the Proteas, against whom Warner has scored four centuries and averages over 50, remains wary of the left-hander’s ability. “David has always brought a lot of intensity against us and we don’t expect anything different,” Maketa said.
And while former Australian captain, Michael Clarke, feels the South Africans would be fully entitled to sledge any of the home players involved in the “sandpaper affair”, Maketa doesn’t expect his team to do so.
“Sometimes it can galvanise a team when you come through those situations. It wasn’t pleasant to go through what they went through. Some of the players are still paying for those mistakes. I feel for us, coming here now and opening old wounds, will probably bring them closer together as a unit. That means we must really be up for the challenge come the first ball on Saturday,” Maketa said.
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