Australia's tour of South Africa: fixtures, odds and how to watch the second Test

Andrew Lucas

Australia's tour of South Africa: fixtures, odds and how to watch the second Test image

Australia and South Africa will head to Port Elizabeth for the second test of their four-match series after a brilliant start to the tour in Durban.

MORE: Mark Waugh defends misfiring Cameron Bancroft after another low score England's Anderson 'worried' over Test cricket's future

With less than a week between the first and second Test, both sides will have to nurse their respective bumps and bruises before taking guard once more.

Australia claimed the series opener with a 118-run win in Durban after decimating South Africa's batting line-up in the first innnings.

If previous test matches are anything to go by, the ball will dominate on an expected green and bouncy wicket in Port Elizabeth.

The last time a test match was played at St George's Park, South Africa defeated Zimbabwe by an innings and 120 runs.

Although they only made 9/309 in their first innings with Zimbabwe bowled out for 68 and 121 in their two innings.

After the falllout of the David Warner and Quinton de Kock incident, tensions could reach their peak in the second Test.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN AUSTRALIA LAST PLAYED AT PORT ELIZABETH?

The last time Australia ventured to PE play a Test was back in February 2014, and things didn't go according to plan.

The hosts won the fixture by 231 runs after AB de Villiers, JP Duminy and Hashim Amla all scored centuries in the match before Dale Steyn ripped though the Aussie batting line-up.

Nathan Lyon did take a five-wicket haul and Chris Rogers hit a century, but otherwise, they were thoroughly outplayed.

Australia's top five during that Test you ask?

Chris Rogers, David Warner, Alex Doolan, Shaun Marsh and Michael Clarke.

WHERE AND WHEN IS THE SECOND TEST?

The second test will be played at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth and will begin on March 9 at 10am local time and 7pm AEDT.

That is 6:30pm CDT, and 5pm in the west.

WHO'S PLAYING/EXPECTED CHANGES

Australia First Test XI: Cameron Bancroft, David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith (c), Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

The Aussies will head into the second Test with an unchanged line-up after a successful first outing in Durban. A potentially career-defining half-century from opener Cameron Bancroft ensured he will remain at the top of the order when he lines up at Port Elizabeth. 

South Africa First Test XI: Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Theunis de Bruyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj, Morne Morkel.

Theunis de Bruyn showed poise making 36 in the second innings as South Africa stared down the barrels of defeat. However, expect Temba Bavuma to come into the side if he recovers from injury to replace de Bruyn. The talented all-rounder had a stellar series in all facets when the Proteas last toured the Aussie shores.

HOW TO WATCH THE SECOND TEST?

The Test match will be broadcast live on Fox Sports, with the action getting underway at 7pm AEDT on March 9.

Fans can also live stream the series with a subscription to Cricket Australia's live pass.

Finally, ABC Grandstand and SEN will be covering the match on the radio.

For a daily update, Stay tuned to Sporting News.

KEY FACTS AHEAD OF THE SECOND TEST

1. Australia have now won back-to-back Tests against South Africa. The last time they won three straight matches against the Proteas was in 2009. 

2. South Africa are undefeated in their last five Tests at St George’s Park with four wins and a draw. Their last loss at the venue was in 2007 against the Windies.

3. Australia have the best Test win rate (58%) of any team in Africa, and are the only team to have won more than one-in-two Tests on the continent.

4. Opener, Aiden Markram notched 143 runs in the second innings of the first Test, the most by a South African against Australia since November 2012. He has scored 315 runs in Test matches in 2018, which is more than any other player this year.

5. Both Morne Morkel and Nathan Lyon could reach the 300 wicket milestone this Test match. Morkel currently sits on 297 Test wickets, while Lyon sits on 293 Test wickets.

Andrew Lucas

Andrew Lucas Photo