South Africa enter the lion's den

Neil Manthorp writes in the Mail & Guardian that Australia is an intimidating place to tour where the people and players are aggressive on some occasions and affable at others. He says the chances of South Africa tasting success on the tour are linked to how well they cope with the “Aussieness” they will encounter.

Ricky Ponting was quick to point out that neither Steyn nor Morkel had played Test cricket in Australia before -- he wasn’t referring to their knowledge of pitch conditions.

Both men will field on the boundary and will encounter verbal abuse previously unimagined, let alone encountered. And there will be more in the middle, too.

How the two young fast bowlers cope with it may play just as big a role in determining the series outcome as any other criteria.And in Business Day, Mark Smit ponders South Africa’s lack of depth as far as opening batsmen are concerned.