South Africa, which is now ranked second in the ICC World Test Championship standings, is aiming for some successful outcomes in the forthcoming series to keep alive their ambitions of competing in the WTC final in London in next June.
South Africa has a lot to play for because a trip to the final is on the line. Proteas Test captain Dean Elgar is optimistic that his team has learned from its mistakes in England and anticipates that they will perform better on their tour to Australia, which will begin later this month.
The team departs from Johannesburg on Thursday for the three-Test tour, which starts with a warm-up match against a Cricket Australia XI the following Friday in Brisbane before the first Test against the hosts at the Gabba on December 17.
The Proteas will play red-ball cricket for the first time since losing to England in a 2-1 series on their home soil earlier this year; on that tour, an inexperienced batting lineup struggled in challenging conditions.
Before the squad left for Australia, Elgar addressed the media at DP World Wanderers Stadium, "We had a pretty hard series in England. The conditions were obviously highly bowler-friendly and in favour of the bowlers."
"So even though the series didn't go in our favor, I think a lot of guys were perhaps exposed to the really difficult conditions of Test cricket, which is sometimes not a bad thing.
"From a learning perspective, the exposure for those younger hitters was a huge advantage for us moving forward. We have learned from the England series, in my opinion, because you have to learn from your mistakes, Elgar added.
The chance to play in Australia on wickets that are more conducive to batters excites the South African captain as well.
In Australia, he continued, "the competition between bat and ball is a little bit fairer, and the wickets they produce are typically very good cricket wickets. Well, at least I hope so.
"Having said that, Test cricket will always be challenging. But when it comes to playing cricket in Australia, you still need to implement your fundamentals, and I think you have to master your fundamentals purely because the wickets produced are pretty good and the balance between bat and ball is pretty even. Australia comes with different external pressures off the field with some things you have to be mindful of "In a press release on Thursday, Cricket South Africa cited him as saying.
Additionally, it is South Africa's first series since Mark Boucher's resignation as head coach, with Malibongwe Maketa serving as the team's interim coach. Similar circumstances occurred when the Proteas travelled to India and fell to the hosts three years prior.
When asked about the trip, Elgar replied that this set of players was far better prepared than the last one.
I believe the environment has altered significantly in a positive way, he continued. "I believe the consistency around that has always been a stable one. We've tried to keep our core guys in terms of our senior players that we've had.
"In the two or three years that have passed, it's also beneficial to have a side that is going through a tiny transition. Along the way, we've been able to test a few players and expose them to Test cricket and what Test cricket is all about.
"I believe that since 2019, we have really improved in a kind manner. We've performed admirably in Test matches. As we approach a significant series Down Under, consistency is something we're still working to achieve," Elgar said.