Australia name XI for South Africa tour game, Usman Khawaja to open

Australia have named a strong XI for their three-day warm-up match against South Africa A, with Usman Khawaja to open in the absence of David Warner.

Australia on Thursday named their strongest possible team ahead of their tour opening match against South Africa A starting at Willowmoore Park on Thursday.

Usman Khawaja will open the innings alongside Cameron Bancroft in Australia’s only tour match on their tour of South Africa. (AFP)

The only likely member of their Test starting eleven missing from the warm-up match is opening batsman David Warner, who was captaining Australia’s Twenty20 team in the final of a triangular tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

(Read | Quinton De Kock, AB de Villiers, Faf Du Plessis focus to get fit for Australia Tests)

The South Africa A team includes five players with international experience.

The first of four Tests starts in Durban on March 1.

Teams:

South Africa A: Khaya Zondo (captain), Theunis de Bruyn, Zubayr Hamza, Beuran Hendricks, Pieter Malan, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Duanne Olivier, Rudi Second (wkt), Malusi Siboto, Shaun von Berg.

Australia: Steve Smith (captain), Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wkt), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.