An Australian attack without the injured Mitchell Starc has been labelled "pedestrian", as the frontline Australian quick declared he was confident of shedding his leg brace and returning in time for the home international campaign.
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While the build-up to the one-day series against South Africa has largely been hidden amid coverage of the football finals, two South Africans have done their best to spice up the five-match campaign, beginning on Friday night.
Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock has questioned the toughness of the Australians, surprisingly using Shaun Marsh and his broken finger as an example, while former Test star Kepler Wessels took aim at what he believes is a "workmanlike" Australian attack.
De Kock said a contributing factor to the Proteas' disappointing form this season was a heavy schedule, and then appeared to take aim at Marsh, whose injury has also this week ruled him out of the opening matches of the Matador domestic one-day series.
"Four months in India takes a lot out of you and it was straight from there to West Indies. That's five months out of the country and constant cricket. It's tough," de Kock said.
"That's why I think some of the Aussies are blaming their fingers to go home early."
Marsh was hurt during the recent one-day series against Sri Lanka and was forced home.
The decision to rest Starc, who was subsequently hurt in a fielding accident where two deep cuts below his knee meant he could "see a couple of bones", and Josh Hazlewood and injuries to other frontline quicks have meant the tourists will take a new-look attack into game one at Centurion.
Rookie pacemen Joe Mennie, Dan Worrall and Chris Tremain will play at some stage against the Proteas, leaving John Hastings (24 one-day internationals) and Scott Boland (11) to provide a dash of experience.
In a column for Supersport, Wessels, who represented South Africa and Australia, said the latter's inexperienced attack was "workmanlike".
"In the absence of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood this young Australian attack has a pedestrian look about it. There is nothing dynamic about the Aussie quick men," he said.
Australia began their campaign with a nine-wicket thumping of Ireland in a one-off one-day international in Benoni.
Starc is aiming to return in time for NSW's opening Sheffield Shield clash, beginning October 25 at the Gabba, having slid into a metal plate at the base of a set of cricket stumps during a fielding drill a fortnight ago. The cut was so deep that his patella tendon was exposed.
He remains in a leg brace but says if he not ready in time to face Queensland, he will be fit for the first Test against the Proteas in Perth from November 3.
