Australia cricket team and South Africa’s batting very brittle: Ryan Harris

Australia cricket team and South Africa cricket team head into the four-match Test series buoyed by impressive victories on home soil but former Aussie pacer Ryan Harris feels both teams are weak with the bat.

Ryan Harris believes both Australia and South Africa have “brittle” batting line-ups for bowlers to exploit ahead of the first Test at Kingsmead.

FILE -- Australia cricket team arrives heavily armed for the four-Test series against South Africa cricket team starting on Thursday in Durban, and the presence of quick bowlers Pat Cummins (in pic), Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood has the hosts feeling the heat. While the Proteas also have a decent bowling attack -- Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Vernon Philander and Lungi Ngidi-- and its the batting that’s a question mark for both the sides. (AP)

Australia and the Proteas head into the four-match series buoyed by impressive victories on home soil in the longest format.

Steve Smith’s men emphatically regained the Ashes with a 4-0 hammering of England before Faf du Plessis’ team brought top-ranked side India back down to earth with a 2-1 win.

Former Australia paceman Harris says it will be the fast bowlers that decide the outcome, as South Africa eye a first Test series victory at home to Australia since 1969-70.

“It will be a tough series. I think it could come down to the pace attacks, both batting line-ups are brittle,” said Harris.

“Obviously they have [AB] de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Du Plessis in there to bring strength, but I expect it will be the bowling units that dictate how the series goes.

“Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn - when fit - [Morne] Morkel, [Vernon] Philander and [Lungi] Ngidi will provide a great test for the Australia batsmen and if our bowlers bowl as they can it will be tough for the South African players.

“With Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc and the five South Africa quicks they have - that is a bloody good attack.

“Philander bats at eight these days, so he’s gone into the all-rounder role. They can play four quicks and a spinner. The positive thing for Australia is they are very similar conditions to what we get at home.

“The pace and bounce doesn’t necessarily bother them, conditions are not so foreign.”

The opening Test gets under way in Durban on Thursday.