Australia's pace depth to be tested

Mitchell Starc was to be rested, and is now injured. Josh Hazlewood is being rested. James Faulkner is injured. Nathan Coulter-Nile is injured. Pat Cummins and James Pattinson are recovering from long-term injuries. John Hastings and Scott Boland are, remarkably, the senior frontline fast bowlers, such is the dearth of experience in Australia's one-day attack in South Africa.

The squad has arrived for their tour of five ODIs against South Africa and one against Ireland, but the locals could be forgiven for wondering if this was an Australia A tour. The presence of Steven Smith, David Warner, George Bailey and Aaron Finch at least provides Australia with an experienced batting order, but when it comes their turn in the field, Smith's men could hardly be greener.

Hastings, with 33 ODI wickets, and Scott Boland, with nine, are the only specialist fast men in this squad who have so much as a one-day cap, although allrounder Mitchell Marsh will also feature in the attack. The rest of the pace group is made up of Victoria's Chris Tremain and the South Australia pair of Daniel Worrall and Joe Mennie, all of whom will debut over the next few weeks.

But Australia's selectors and team management are already looking ahead to the first Test of their home summer in Perth, also against South Africa, which is just six weeks away, and keeping Hazlewood and Starc fresh was a priority - until Starc gashed his leg at training. Coach Darren Lehmann said the absences provided wonderful opportunities for new men to shine.

"We do turnover a bit in our one-day set-up because you've got to give the Test players a break somewhere," Lehmann told reporters in Johannesburg upon the squad's arrival. "So we get our one-day players to chop and change a little bit. They handle it very well.

"The great thing is it gives them a chance at this next level, so we've had someone like Travis Head come in and do really well for us, and the bowlers chop and change a bit. Steve knows he's got a lot of depth of bowlers in this format.

"We've done that since the World Cup final, you can really chop and change, and making sure we're giving everyone enough game time looking ahead to major tournaments - we've got the Champions Trophy next year and then looking ahead to 2019 [World Cup]. We're always looking ahead. The players adapt really well when we do that.

"There's obviously good reasons we don't bring Starc and Hazlewood here. We're playing you in a Test series and we want to give them a break. It's a great challenge for our young guys ... They're good young players and they'll go well."

Remarkably, Hastings is the only specialist bowler in Australia's attack who had so much as made his ODI debut when this year began. Boland first appeared against India in January and legspinner Adam Zampa debuted in New Zealand in February. At least one of Worrall, Mennie and Tremain - and potentially all three - will debut in the opening ODI against Ireland in Benoni next Tuesday.

"We've got some good young fast bowlers," Lehmann said. "We'll only know that at the end of a series against a quality side. We're hoping they step up and I'm sure they will. They've got some pace, they swing the ball and we've got some variations.

"We've also got some good quality there with Hastings who has played really well for us, Boland did well last series [in Sri Lanka] and then you've got the three debutants who will play at some stage during the tournament."