LIVE – Australia v South Africa: 2nd Test - Toss Report
South Africa won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia in the second Test of the two match series at the New Wanderers, Johannesburg in South Africa on Thursday, November 17, 2011.
The hosts had gained an unassailable lead of 1-0 after winning the first Test in Cape Town and will be looking to seal the series by winning the second game as well.
The pitch in Johannesburg is good for batting unlike the one used in Cape Town, which turned out to be a nightmare for the batsmen.
However, there will be some extra bounce for the quicker bowlers, which might cause a few problems for the batsmen, especially with the new ball.
There has been no change made to the Proteas squad, as they have decided to continue with the winning combination.
South Africa’s squad is: Graeme Smith (captain), Jacques Rudolph, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, Ashwell Prince, Mark Boucher, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Imran Tahir.
On the other hand, the Australian side has made a couple of changes to the playing eleven today. They have left out pacer Ryan Harris, who was not fully fit to play.
This has given youngster Pat Cummins an opportunity to make an impression in the longest version of the game.
The 18-year-old has already made his mark in One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 cricket, but it will be a different thing altogether for him to perform in Test cricket.
Other than Cummins, Pakistan born Usman Khawaja has also been included in the playing eleven today. He has come in place of injured Shaun Marsh, who suffered a back injury during the opening match of the series.
Khawaja had been given a couple of opportunities in recent times as well, but the talented batsman failed to make an impression. He will now be looking forward to score a big one for his side in order to cement is spot in the playing eleven.
The Aussie eleven for today’s game is: Shane Watson, Phil Hughes, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke (captain), Usman Khawaja, Michael Hussey, Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.
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