It's an all-too-familiar situation for South Africa. Even though the ICC World Championship is (officially) theirs for the taking, and even though Australia are in the throes of a crisis of their own making, Friday's Test series opener at Johannesburg is threatening to be as one-sided as the last three encounters between the sides. This time last week, Steve Waugh was the captain in the spotlight. How would he shape up after the indignity of his one-day axing? Very well, it appears, after he waltzed to a century in Australia's warm-up match at Potchefstroom. Waugh, never one to let emotion get in the way of his sense of priorities, has met with many greater triumphs and disasters in his time - the only impostor he won't be treating the same will be his opposite number, Mark Boucher.

Boucher has been thrust into the job because of Shaun Pollock's thigh injury, and can be assured of a tough baptism. The last time Australia were here, in 1996-97, the Wanderers' steeply-tiered grandstands and hostile crowd were stunned into silence by a Steve Waugh masterclass, as he and Greg Blewett added 385 for the fifth wicket, in an innings and 196-run trouncing. Old Flint Eyes has seen it all before - Young Wide Eyes, who was then still a year away from his Test debut, will have to learn, and learn fast.

Captain or no captain, Pollock's absence is a body blow for South Africa. He was far from at his best in the recent Test series, and yet he comfortably outbowled the rest of his substandard seamers, none of whom took more than five wickets each. His replacement is Andre Nel, whose run-through-a-brick-wall attitude will be as valuable to Boucher as Allan Donald's vast experience, but there will be much pressure on Makhaya Ntini, who came into his own in the VB Series, but failed to register a single victim in the Tests.

Australia's selectors may view the two forms of the game as separate beasts, but South Africa will have to devour every crumb of comfort from that VB Series victory. Australia still beat them three times out of four, but Ntini - firing the ball in from wide of the crease - played his part in undermining a fragile top-order, and the under-pressure Mark Waugh will remain a particular target. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, however, were deemed surplus to requirements for the one-dayers, and in true Aussie fashion will be out to prove a point, as well as extend their gargantuan record.

Before the match, three men appeared to be in the running for the vacant place in the South African line-up, and all three played for South Africa A at Potchefstroom. But, true to form, Glenn McGrath blew the claims of Graeme Smith, Jacques Rudolph and the much-maligned Daryll Cullinan clean out of the water, in a spell of 5 for 17 in 15 overs. In their stead, after the injury to Justin Ontong, comes the unknown Ashwell Prince, who dodged the bullets to score a hard-earned 92. He won't find it as easy to stay out of the crosswires this time.

Much, as ever, will depend on Gary Kirsten and Jacques Kallis - it is a measure of the respect they have both earned that McGrath has broken with tradition, and put them both at the top of his pre-series hit-list. Mike Atherton, Brian Lara, and Kirsten last time round have all been singled out in the past, and they have all lived down to expectations. Twice the target could mean twice the trouble for South Africa.

Teams
South Africa 1 Gary Kirsten, 2 Herschelle Gibbs, 3 Jacques Kallis, 4 Neil McKenzie, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Ashwell Prince, 7 Mark Boucher (capt & wk), 8 Nicky Boje, 9 Andre Nel, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Allan Donald

Australia 1 Justin Langer, 2 Matthew Hayden, 3 Ricky Ponting, 4 Mark Waugh, 5 Steve Waugh (capt), 6 Damien Martyn, 7 Adam Gilchrist (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Shane Warne, 10 Jason Gillespie, 11 Glenn McGrath

Andrew Miller is on the staff of Wisden.com

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