Starc, Hazlewood Rested as Australia Gear up for the Proteas Test

South Africa to host Australia for the five match ODI series starting on Friday at Centurion.

Speedster Dale Steyn will be a crucial cog in South Africa’s wheel when they take on Australia in the five match bilateral ODI series. (Photo: AP)

Australia's fast bowling reserves will be put to the test during a five-match One-day International series against South Africa starting in Centurion on Friday.

The world's leading one-day team will be without an entire battery of top-class pace bowlers when they take on their fourth-ranked challengers in the latter’s backyard.

Seamers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have been rested, while Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner and Peter Siddle were ruled out by injury.

The touring squad includes three new fast bowlers in Daniel Worrall, who earned his first cap in Australia's nine-wicket win against Ireland in Benoni on Tuesday, Chris Tremain and Joe Mennie.

The only experienced pacers in the squad are John Hastings, Scott Boland and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who between them have only 73 caps and 80 wickets in one-day internationals.

Adam Zampa will be a key bowler for the visitors in the absence of frontline seamers. (Photo: AP)

A key bowler for Australia could be leg-spinner Adam Zampa, 24, who made his debut in February and has taken 25 wickets in 13 matches, although South Africa's relatively small grounds and the thin air in Centurion and Johannesburg could challenge his skills.

Given their lack of experience, the Australian bowlers have reason to be grateful that AB de Villiers, the world's number one-ranked one-day international batsman, will be undergoing elbow surgery that will keep him out of action for both the one-day series and a Test series in Australia in November.

In the absence of captain AB de Villiers, the onus of South Africa’s batting would be on Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis. (Photo: AP)

South Africa will still have a strong batting line-up led by Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis.

Squads:

South Africa: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), JP Duminy, David Miller, Wayne Parnell, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Rilee Rossouw, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn, Imran Tahir.

Australia: Steve Smith (capt), George Bailey, Scott Boland, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Joe Mennie, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade (wkt), David Warner, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.

(With inputs from PTI)