Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc expects an element of uncertainty when his team faces South Africa in an unusually timed tour, with rain and unfamiliar early-season conditions potentially influencing the upcoming Test series.
South Africa will host Australia in a three-match ODI series beginning Thursday before the teams meet in a three-Test series next month. The Tests will mark Australia’s first Test tour of South Africa in eight years.
The series is scheduled for October, when rainfall can become a significant factor in parts of South Africa. Starc said the conditions could therefore differ from the dry surfaces traditionally associated with the country.
“There’s an element of the unknown,” Starc told reporters. “It’s part of Test cricket and you just adapt to what’s in front of you.”
The 36-year-old fast bowler, who claimed nine wickets during Australia’s most recent Test in Durban, said the recent wet weather could produce surfaces different from those that typically assist reverse swing.
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“It’s quite muggy and humid,” Starc said, adding that rain had been discussed before the Australian squad arrived. He said the conditions were not yet typical of the country’s drier period and that the weather could play a role in the matches.
The Australia cricket team will first focus on the ODI series before turning its attention to the longer format. The opening Test is scheduled to begin in Durban on October 9.
Starc also praised fellow fast bowler Nathan Ellis, who impressed during Australia’s recent ODI series in Zimbabwe while several senior pacemen were rested.
Ellis played a leading role in the attack in the absence of Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, strengthening his claims for a regular place in Australia’s ODI setup.
“He is really pushing his case as a lock as a pick in the one-day team, and no doubt he’ll look to perform in these three as well,” Starc said.
The three-match ODI series will provide both teams with an opportunity to assess their squads before the focus shifts to the Test matches in October.
