Elgar v Starc: a sequel to Johnson and Smith

A left-arm opening bowler and a left-handed opening batsmen could headline South Africa’s three-Test tour of Australia next month. No, it’s not Mitchell Johnson v Graeme Smith. Their rivalry, which resulted in nine dismissals in 11 Tests and two broken arms, ended more than two years ago; now, a new rivalry could pick up where they left off.

Mitchell Starc and Dean Elgar will face off against each other for the first time, and they appear to have all the ingredients for an epic contest. Starc has already proved a menace to left-handers. He has got Sri Lanka opener Dimuth Karunaratne’s wicket six times in 10 innings. Elgar has been dismissed three times by Johnson.

“I have never faced Starc so for me its a totally new encounter but a very exciting one,” Elgar, who made his Test debut against Australia, said. “Starc’s stats speak for themselves. He is a massive asset for the Australian side and with him striking early, it’s something I will have to be wary of. It’s going to be a good challenge. He seems a serious competitor, a guy who I respect a lot in the game.”

Apart from Starc’s angle, Elgar and his opening partner Stephen Cook will also have to watch for seam movement. With 29 Tests between them, Australia might be able to prey on their inexperience. However, Jimmy Cook, former South Africa opener and father of Stephen Cook, believes 25 years of experience between them at the first-class level will be sufficient to give South Africa solid starts.
“Both Dean and Stephen are technically sound and it’s not as though they are young guys of 20 or 21 going out there. They are experienced,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Against quality bowlers, they know they will probably get out cheaply once or twice on the tour but they also know the importance of their role. In any time, you need your openers to see off the new ball and get the middle order in on 150 for 2 or something like that. I think they will be up for it.”

Cook senior’s chief concern is how the pair will handle the pink ball in the Adelaide Test. “The pink ball will be the biggest challenge because I have heard it swings a lot under lights so that will be tough for them,” he said.

Although the day-night Test is the last on the tour, South Africa have already begun their preparations with practice sessions and a warm-up match under lights. At training on Tuesday, South Africa focused on adjusting to the “twilight period”. Elgar felt the pink ball “swings a little bit more upfront and for a longer period”. South Africa will have two two-day games to work on how they hope to combat that.

The new ball is not Elgar’s only challenge on the tour. His struggles of late have stemmed from an inability to efficiently tackle offspin – R Ashwin and Moeen Ali in recent series. So Nathan Lyon might be itching to have a bowl at him too. “Lyon is a good spinner,” Elgar said. “I faced him a few times, more so in South Africa. It might be a little bit different in Australian conditions but I know he has been a seasoned campaigner for them year in and year out, so we see him as a big asset for them.”

South Africa whitewashed Australia in the recently-concluded five-match ODI series. However, neither Elgar or Cook featured in those matches, while Australia’s bowling attack was without Starc, Lyon and Josh Hazlewood. That means the challenge in the Tests is going to be completely different and might turn out to be much more absorbing. Elgar expected as much: “What’s happened in South Africa is the past. I think Australia are hungry to prove a lot of people wrong. That’s what makes them quite dangerous.”