Australia look to returning Johnson for spark
A preview to the third one-day international between Australia and South Africa at the SCG
Match facts
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Start time 2.15pm (03.15 GMT)
The Big Picture
If anyone thought Twenty20 would spell the end of 50-over cricket, the opening two ODIs between Australia and South Africa should have assuaged their fears. Both contests came down to the final over with either side still capable of victory. In Melbourne, South Africa got home in their chase but in Hobart Ben Hilfenhaus delivered a steady last over that won the match for Australia. It means the series is now locked at 1-1 and Friday's match at the SCG will put one team within a win of taking the trophy.ODI form guide
Australia - WLWWWSouth Africa - LWWWW
Team news
Australia will take in a more experienced attack than in their Hobart victory, where Hilfenhaus and the debutant Ryan Harris performed solidly. Both men have been left out of the side for the SCG, where Mitchell Johnson will return after a break and Shaun Tait should also play having been rested at Bellerive Oval. The remaining question is whether Australia can find a place for the offspinner Nathan Hauritz on his home ground. Hauritz has travelled with the team for the Twenty20s and two ODIs without being required as David Hussey, Michael Clarke and Cameron White have shared the spin duties. At the SCG he might have his best chance of a call-up with the allrounder James Hopes a potential casualty.Watch out for ...
Mitchell Johnson returns to the squad having rested for the two Twenty20s and the first two ODIs. Australia's best bowler over the past few months, Johnson adds venom to an attack already featuring the dangerous Tait and the world's No. 1 one-day seamer Nathan Bracken. Johnson also strengthens a tail that has been unusually long for Australia this series, with Bracken, Tait and Hilfenhaus not exactly reliable with the bat.Pitch & conditions
The SCG pitch was the subject of vigorous debate during the Test match, when its cracks resembled earthquake-inducing fault-lines. However, the game lasted until the final few minutes on the fifth day, so batting was clearly not too difficult and Sydney is usually a venue where runs can be scored relatively freely. The weather could be a slight concern, with the chance of showers or thunderstorms.Stats and trivia
- Jacques Kallis will fly home 12 runs short of 10,000 in Tests but he should reach the mark in ODIs this series. Kallis needs 16 more to become the first South African to score 10,000 one-day international runs.
- Kallis also requires four more wickets to become the fourth South African to reach 250 ODI victims.
- Australia's poor record against South Africa at the MCG is almost reversed at the SCG, where the home team has won the past four encounters between the two sides.
Quotes
"Mitchell will obviously come back in, after a couple of weeks off he was obviously jumping out of his skin to get back in the nets to bat and bowl again. That is a good sign for us."Ricky Ponting
JP Duminy
Brydon Coverdale is a staff writer at Cricinfo