By Suraj Atapattu
Australia (Commonwealth) _ This week marks the first time test cricket has been played at the WACA in seven years. South Africa and the Australian women’s team will play a four-day match starting on Thursday.
The national women’s team hasn’t played at the legendary Perth stadium since 2014, when they lost to England by 61 runs despite all-rounder Ellyse Perry taking eight wickets and top-scoring in both innings. The iconic Perth venue last hosted Test cricket during the 2017–18 Ashes.
While South Africa has only played one Test in the last nine years—a rain-affected tie against England in 2022 when seasoned all-rounder Marizanne Kapp scored 150—Australia has never before faced the Proteas in red-ball cricket.
Australia’s 14-man team has all played Test cricket before, while South Africa’s touring party includes six players with caps. Laura Wolvaardt, the captain of the Proteas, will lead her nation in a Test match this week for the first time.
Wolvaardt told reporters in Sydney last week, “It’s obviously difficult to play a Test match sans playing much domestic red-ball stuff.” I adore Test cricket because it’s the most authentic version of the game, which I believe would complement my style of play even though I haven’t had many opportunities to play it. Personally, I’m ecstatic about it and want to play it more often in the future.
Australia’s multi-format series against the Proteas, which the hosts have won four of the six white-ball matches to lead 8-4, will come to an end with this one-off Test. But if South Africa wins the historic Test, which is worth four points, they will tie the series.
The multi-format series is great. Australian coach Shelley Nitschke told reporters last week, “I think they work really well.” They provide some preparation problems, but that’s a given for both teams. Over the last eight months, Australia has played two Test matches: an eight-wicket defeat to India at Wankehde Stadium and an 89-run triumph over England at Trent Bridge.
Nitschke acknowledged that the Australians were finding it difficult to move between the forms, especially since red-ball matches are still uncommon for the players. According to Nitschke, it’s actually a very tough one when we don’t play many Tests.
We spent a lot of time in the red-ball format during our trip to England, where we performed admirably in the Test match. However, we struggled with the white ball and were out of season at that moment.
It seems like we’re always learning. We’re learning every time we take a test, and perhaps it’s getting simpler to learn how to switch between formats. This week, Australia is expected to experience intense heatwaves, with highs of 42 degrees on Thursday and 36 and 40 degrees over the weekend.
Known for its bounce, the WACA pitch has unexpectedly shown symptoms of a sharp turn this summer, which could help Ash Gardner, the recipient of the Belinda Clark Award, and leg-spinner Alana King. Western Australia and New South Wales shared 16 wickets between bowlers Chris Green and Corey Rocchiccioli during last week’s Sheffield Shield encounter.
Reporters were informed this week by South African all-rounder Nadine de Klerk that there should be a little turn. In fact, I believe that our team plays a really good brand of spin. We’ve adjusted rather well over the past few years. We have a lot of experience against subcontinent teams, so I believe we are proficient with spin, which should work to our benefit.
First ball of the Australia vs. South Africa Perth Test is set to begin at the WACA on Thursday at 2 p.m. AEDT.
Australia team
Alyssa Healy (captain), Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Kim Garth, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, and
South African team
Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Masabata Klaas, Suné, Ayanda Hlubi, Sinalo Jafta, Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Mieke de Ridder, Delmi Tucker, Suné Luus, Eliz-Mari Marx, Nonkululeko Mlaba, and Chloé Tryon
