SA vs Australia: Bavuma makes return as Proteas bat first
Two changes made from the side that did the job in PE.
Temba Bavuma made his first Test appearance for 2018 in the third match against Australia in Newlands on Thursday.
The 27-year old was one of two changes from the side that won the second Test in Port Elizabeth to level the series, with Morne Morkel also making a return in place of the injured Lungi Ngidi.
The match is Bavuma’s 27th Test, his first since the day-night contest against Zimbabwe on Boxing Day last year. He replaces Theunis de Bruyn in the middle-order.
After missing out on selection for the second match, Morkel returns on his quest to become the fourth South African bowler to 300 Test wickets.
The 33-year old speedster announced his plans to retire from all international cricket after the current series and is only three scalps away from the magic mark.
He comes in after Ngidi, who took five wickets in total in the PE Test, was ruled out of this particular match due to a toe injury.
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Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis won the toss for the first time in the series and elected to bat on surface which has a visible grass covering.
Australia go into the match with the same playing XI used in the previous two Test of the series as they look to maintain their unbeaten run on South African soil since their first post-isolation tour in 1994.
Teams
South Africa
Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (captain), Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock, Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel
Australia
Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith (captain), Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon.
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