Details set to “announced in a week or so” but arrangement depending on the Covid-19 pandemic “changing”

South African Cricket believes Australia’s visit for the three Tests will continue, with details being “finalized and announced in a week or so”, according to acting CEO Pholetsi Moseki.

ESPNcricinfo understands that the full series will be played at Highveld, with matches split between SuperSport Park and the Wanderers, and Irene Country Club will be used as the team’s biosecure base, as is the case for Sri Lankan series during the festive period. While the date has yet to be confirmed, the former Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris, speaking on SEN radio last week, suggested that the Australian team would depart on 24 February, with Tests set to start in early March. All of these arrangements depend on the ever-changing situation of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The Australian tour at this stage is underway. I had a chat with the chairman of Cricket Australia about a week ago and we agreed that the tour would continue,” said Hakim Zak Yacoob, CSA’s caretaker chairman. “We agreed that we would make sure that our facilities were as good as possible, as good as we needed. We also agreed we were studying every day but it was not on the basis that we made mistakes when England is here because you know that no English is affected. That’s the point. They all flew back and that’s good.

“But learning in relation to this virus changes all the time and when it changes things have to change. We agree that as a professional he doesn’t. [CA’s chair] I don’t know anything about this either. We have doctors, we have experts, who lead us through this process and what we are adopting is an approach that as long as the experts on both sides, true professionals in relation to Coronavirus and health, agree that the facilities are fine, we go the top basic amenities are fine. So far between the CA chair and I have no doubt that this series will continue, but we have also agreed that the Coronavirus is changing so much that we cannot predict what will happen. If things suddenly get worse and we really can’t do it and our experts say we can’t and other experts say we can’t, we won’t be able to do it. “

South Africa has hosted two international series this summer, first against England, based in Cape Town, and then against Sri Lanka, which is in Johannesburg. Britain is scheduled to play three T20s and three ODI but leave without playing a 50-over match after concerns over the integrity of the biosecure environment. Three South African players and two hotel staff tested positive for Covid-19 during three T20s, as did two British players before ODI, even though the test is then proved to be a false positive, while both teams are allowed to play golf. The CSA tightened protocol ahead of the Sri Lanka series, with no team allowed to leave the base unless ashore, and the series proceeded without incident.

Given the success of the Sri Lanka series, that there are two Exam venues in Highveld and it is more affordable for CSA to biobubble at Irene Country Club than Cape Town’s Vineyard Hotel (where players are placed for the UK series), the Australian Test is more likely to be conducted in the countryside than on the premises – any coastal place.

The only factor that may cause concern during the series hosting in Gauteng province is the increasing number of Covid-19 infections. South Africa is entering the second wave of the pandemic and the daily number of cases ranges between 10,000 and 20,000. Gauteng province, where many of the festive holiday makers have returned, is expected to continue to see an increase in cases and there are concerns that the health care system could be overwhelmed. Restrictions are in place nationwide, which include a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and a ban on the sale of alcohol, but interprovincial and international travel by air is allowed. Even so, several airlines, including Emirates and KLM, have temporarily suspended flights to and from South Africa.

Most likely, the Australian team will have to arrive on a charter flight, but will not need to enter strict quarantine on arrival. It is likely that they will train in small groups initially and as a team in a few days, as Sri Lanka did. CA has contacted staff at Irene Country Club to request additional facilities – such as a temporary gym – and it is understood that further negotiations concern the logistics around the families of players joining them on the tour.

CSA is expected to try and be as accommodating as possible to Australia given the financial importance of the tour. After losing $ 1.5 million from postponed UK ODI, the Australian tour is CSA’s last chance to raise money this summer, and could also influence negotiations for their new broadcast deal, due to be finalized in April. The deal is expected to be worth less than previous ones due to the economic climate and the team’s declining fortunes, but a more competitive South African team that plays against top opposition regularly could increase its value.

Australia will also be interested in playing. After lost to India at home, they are need to win two Tests in South Africa and a third series to jump New Zealand in the World Test Championship table. Australia have only lost one draw in South Africa since re-entering, in the summer of 2017-18. They have returned to ODI play in the country since and were obscured 3-0 last March, but this will be the first time their Test team has played in South Africa since. scandal breaks the ball.

The last ball in the 100th minute is over the Indian half, which is rare from the top of the net by Nathan Lyon to Washington Sundar, the batsman pushes the half volley back onto the court and for the matter of having the bowler shoot back at his head, requires evasive action.

Shortly thereafter, the Australian coach Justin Langer pictured in the team’s field of view spilling a water bottle next to his laptop – not once but twice – and cursing and then walking away as the team’s friendly powering and conditioning coach, Aaron Kellett, steps in to clean up. Shades of Headingley 2019 and trash can.

When the match formed a 123 stand between Sundar and Shardul thakur finally ended by Pat Cummins – Who else? – Australians gather less in celebration than in inventory. The disagreements surrounding the next two strikes are some of the most unfortunate for Tim Paine’s team in the three years since cricket was their least concern in Cape Town and Johannesburg in 2018.

Then, in the last overs of the Indian inning, Nos. 10 and 11, Mohammed Siraj and T Natarajan, received only four balls which were aimed at the stump amidst the flurry of guards. Natarajan entered the match with a first-class 2 average, but was now able to make it 1 unbeaten while Siraj amassed a rogue 13. The fourth ball on the stump hits them.

What all these scenes show, for Australian 100-Test spinners Lyon, their pacemen Josh Hazlewood, Cummins and Mitchell Starc, as well as their leadership duo Paine and Langer, mentally, if not physically, India’s resilience and persistence have really been under the skin of a home team hoping to win well, and in particular to blow up the visitors. with the pace of their “top three” being helped by Lyon.

Given the match-and-draw scenario, plus the likelihood of heavy rain in Brisbane in the last two days, Australia really needs to break through the Indian blow with the help of a fast, rocking surface and then give them plenty of time to rush into the big lead. At the midpoint of the day, although there were some odd doubts to pile up the slip guard that allowed Ajinkya Rahane to get away with some very attractive edges from Starc bowling, they were on their way to do so.

“I think we missed our mark a little bit, we did a full touch or a short touch and a little bit wide here and there, so we let them get away a little bit there and maybe don’t put pressure on. We want to”

Josh Hazlewood

This is largely due to Hazlewood, putting on a performance that, if not as devastating as his Adelaide spell, was a reenactment worthy of his five-time debut against India in Gabba in 2014, all tight lines, smooth motion and steep reflections. A score of 186 for 6, with new balls maturing within 14 overs, leaves a path that appears open for Australia.

In contrast, Hazlewood, Cummins, Starc and Lyon found themselves struggling to muster their best for the additional duo Sundar and Thakur, and very quickly lost their focus in the process. There is no reason, other than mental exhaustion, why one of the most proud lineups of bowlers in Australian history couldn’t find enough balls in the right area of ​​the court to be helpful enough to ensure the pair don’t fit in.

What they did, for what proved to be one of the finest lower-tier stands in living memory, is a stark contrast to how Cummins’ blows have fallen in particular, and how Australia’s first inning was not bad. Another big question opened up by him centers on whether, within the limits of the 2020-21 summer biosafety, the hosts might consider more rest and a much deeper bowling squad rotation than is seen on the pitch.

The emergence of Siraj, Natarajan, Navdeep Saini and Sundar has left the likes of Michael Neser, Sean Abbott and Mitch Swepson wondering what they might achieve if given the chance to perform. In contrast, Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc and Lyon appear to be more or less capable of choosing themselves provided they are physically able to get on the pitch, which may lead to a lack of sharpness when needed most on day three in Brisbane or day five. in Sydney.