- Scorecard: South Africa vs Australia, 1st Test
Australia skipper Ricky Ponting won the toss and elected to bat in the first Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Australia will hope to make best use of a pitch largely devoid of grass, but the heavy cloud cover could offer the home new ball bowlers some assistance.
Opening batsman Phillip Hughes, spin bowling all-rounder Marcus North and swing bowler Ben Hilfenhaus were included in the Australian playing eleven to make their Test debuts.
They ignored left-arm fast bowler Doug Bollinger, choosing all-rounder Andrew McDonald, a medium-pacer, instead.
South Africa retained the same XI that played all three Tests in Australia, claiming a 2-1 series win.
Teams
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Neil McKenzie, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Mark Boucher (w/k), Morne Morkel, Paul Harris, Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini.
Australia: Simon Katich, Phillip Hughes, Ricky Ponting (captain), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (w/k), Andrew McDonald, Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus.
