Australia names best team for opener in SA

Australia named its strongest possible team ahead of its tour opening match against South Africa A starting at Willowmoore Park on Thursday.

The only likely member of its Test starting eleven missing from the warm-up match is opening batsman David Warner, who was captaining Australia’s Twenty20 team in the final of a triangular tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

The South Africa A team includes five players with international experience.

The first of four Tests starts in Durban on March 1.

Teams:

South Africa A: Khaya Zondo (captain), Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Beuran Hendricks, Pieter Malan, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Duanne Olivier, Rudi Second (wkt), Malusi Siboto, Shaun von Berg

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wkt), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood