South Africa's Test probables gear up for maiden pink ball challenge

South Africa 'A' begin their tour of Australia with the first of the two, four-day games against the hosts at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane on Saturday (July 30), in a game that will see several of South Africa's Test regulars get their first taste of the pink ball in first-class cricket.

South Africa are scheduled to play their first ever Day-Night Test in Adelaide during their tour of Australia later this year and the experience of the 'A' tour is likely to be crucial for the nine Test players in the squad.
Stephen Cook, who slammed a century on Test debut against England in January, leads a squad featuring Test team probables Dean Elgar, Temba Bavuma, Wayne Parnell, Dane Piedt, Stiaan van Zyl, Vernon Philander, Dane Vilas and Harus Viljoen.

"The guys are really on a high and looking forward to the first game tomorrow," Cook said on the eve of the game. "It will be the first time the guys play with the pink ball in a first-class match, so the guys have prepared for that and are very excited.

"We know the Aussies are going to be tough opponents and we're expecting a serious challenge. But the boys have trained well after the tour of Zimbabwe and we're feeling bright and ready for a great tour. So we can't wait to get started," he added.

After initial apprehension, South Africa consented to playing the Day-Night Test after several rounds of discussions involving Cricket South Africa officials and captain AB de Villiers. Eventually, an understanding was reached after Cricket Australia promised that the visitors would get sufficient practice to acclimatise themselves with the ball and the novel concept.

The second match of the series will be played in Townsville from August 6-9 and that will be followed by a one-day series involving India A, Australia A and a National Performance squad beginning on August 13.