ICC

There has never been a more fascinating dead rubber in the 139-year history of Test cricket.

With the series already decided thanks to South Africa's easy wins in the Tests at Perth and Hobart, the day-night Test in Adelaide could mark the birth of the next generation of Australian cricket.

Faced with the humiliation of the first home-series whitewash in their history, Australia have reacted savagely at the selection table. After the chief selector Rod Marsh stood down, the Aussies named five new players, with four of them yet to debut at this level.

Twenty-year-old batsman Matt Renshaw is likely to open the batting alongside David Warner, while Victorian middle-order batsman Peter Handscomb powered his way into a baggy green after a double century at the Sheffield Shield level last week.

Nic Maddinson has long been predicted to ascend to the Test level, and he'll get his chance as well, while paceman Chadd Sayers will also get to play on his home ground.

The other change sees Matthew Wade replace Peter Nevill as keeper in a move that is as much about attitude as it is about aptitude. The Aussies want to get their fierceness back, and Wade provides that with the bat, the gloves and his personality.

As a result, a home victory in this Test is priced at $2.85, according to website AustralianGambling.com.au, despite Australia losing their last five matches in the five-day format. If they were to win this match, it would be one of the more remarkable achievements in recent Australian cricket history, given the tumult of the past fortnight.

South Africa have hardly been spectators during the fallout of the past few weeks. Rather than sit and watch while Australian cricket imploded, the tourists found themselves under scrutiny after skipper Faf du Plessis was filmed using a sweet or lolly to work the ball in the Hobart Test. It cost him 100 percent of his match fee.

The Proteas are $2 favorites to win this, and given the way they have dominated with the ball this series, that seems overly generous. Their pacemen, minus an injured Dale Steyn, have been remarkable and Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander and Kyle Abbott have combined for 31 wickets.

The day-night conditions at the Adelaide Oval, with a pink ball, should suit them even more.

There's a slight doubt over Philander coming into this match, which means the $3.50 available on Rabada and the $3.75 on Abbott getting the most wickets in the first innings seems good value.

The most-first-innings-wickets market for the Aussies sees Mitch Starc ($2.70) and Josh Hazlewood ($3) dominant.

In terms of the top-runscorer markets for the first innings, Warner and Steve Smith share the top of the market for the Aussies at $3.75 apiece, Usman Khawaja is $4 with the debutants, Renshaw ($6), Handscomb ($7) and Maddinson ($8), all in single figures.

Hashim Amla may only have 48 runs for the series, but the oddsmakers clearly think he's due. He is the $4.33 favorite to lead South Africa in first-innings scoring. Du Plessis and Dean Elgar are $5.50 with in-form keeper Quinton de Kock at $6.

The one result that appears highly unlikely in the Test is the draw, priced at $4.75. With fine weather predicted all week in the City of Churches, it is highly expected this match won't go the distance with the pink ball set to dominate the bat.

Australia head into their Second Test cricket match against South Africa at Hobart, Australia, beginning Saturday needing a break in the weather and a turn in their fortunes if they are to rescue this series.

Before this week, the last time Australia had lost an opening Test of the summer on home soil captain Steve Smith hadn't been born, but that defeat at the WACA has the home side and their captain under considerable pressure.

Markets have South Africa at $1.50 to win their third consecutive series, according to website AustralianGambling, with an Australian revival priced at $7 and a drawn series at $3.75.

The reason that market is so lopsided against the Aussies is that the second Test is literally under a cloud, with constant rain expected to ruin the first two days of play.

A wet weekend in Hobart will hopefully clear for at least three days of cricket, but oddsmakers understandably are skeptical of there being a result.

They have the draw priced at $1.61, despite the fact it has been 15 years, and seven Tests, since we last had a Test without a result at the Bellerive Oval.

Australia have only ever lost once there, to New Zealand in 2011, but it is a ground where the team who has batted first has won eight of 12 Test matches, so the toss could be important.

South Africa are $4.75 outsiders to win this one, having never played at Hobart before. They will certainly find it a different challenge to the WACA, which offered familiar conditions for both their batsmen and bowlers as well as sizable South African crowd support.

Dale Steyn is out for up to six months with a shoulder injury, and Morne Morkel, Kyle Abbott and Dwaine Pretorius will fight it out for his spot in the XI.

Australia, who are $4.20 to win this Test, will have to make at least two changes with Peter Siddle (back) and Shaun Marsh (finger) both ruled out. Joe Mennie will make his Test debut. He is the 11th paceman to debut for Australia in the past five years and will be hoping for a better return than his recent ODI debut in South Africa, where he conceded a record-breaking zero for 82.

Joe Burns and Callum Ferguson are battling for Marsh's spot at the top of the order, with Burns seemingly having the edge.

Whoever gets the nod will have to give plenty of support to David Warner, who looks in good form. He should have had a century in the first inning in Perth and was run out in spectacular fashion in the second. He averages 81.75 in Hobart, while the pressure is on Smith, who failed twice in Perth and made just 10 when last playing there last year.

First the first time in over 20 years, the opening test of the Australian summer won't be in Brisbane, with Australia hosting South Africa at the WACA in Perth on Thursday and both sides looking to climb their way back up the ICC test rankings.

Australia and South Africa have been one and two in the test rankings for much of the past 15 years, but both find themselves in stages of transition, with the Aussies currently third behind first-place India and second-place Pakistan, and South Africa battling in fifth.

In fact, the touring Proteas have won just two of their past 12 tests and come to Australia without their inspirational skipper—AB de Villiers. But they do at least have a recent series victory under their belt, having beaten New Zealand 1-0 at home in August.

They also go into this first test with the confidence that they have never lost at the WACA. They won here in 2008 and 2012 and drew here in 2005. They hold the rare honor of having defeated Australia in consecutive home series.

Despite that record, South Africa go into this match as outsiders at $3, according to website AustralianGambling.com.au, but having been backed from $3.25 when markets opened.

Australia have drifted to $1.98, which seems short for a team embarrassed in their recent series in Sri Lanka, which they lost 3-0.

Australia's best paceman, Mitch Starc, comes into this match under an injury cloud, with a cut knee suffered six weeks ago, while the decision to select South Australian paceman Joe Mennie over Jackson Bird in the 12 raised eyebrows. Mennie could make his test debut, but he is in a battle with Peter Siddle for the final pace spot behind Starc and Josh Hazelwood. Starc is an $8 equal favorite to be man of the match along with the two best Aussie batsmen—David Warner and Steve Smith.

Stand-in South African skipper Faf du Plessis, coming off a century at his most recent test, is also an $8 equal favorite.

The man whom the Aussie batsmen will most fear is Dale Steyn, currently ranked the world's No. 2 bowler. He's taken 11 wickets in his two WACA Tests and is $9.50 to get man of the match honors.

South African top-order batsman Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock are $10.

Those keen on taking the $4.15 on the draw should be aware there have been just three draws in the past 22 years at the ground, taking in 21 tests. However, the most recent test against New Zealand saw both teams compile massive first-inning scores of over 550, which all but ruled out a result.

Australia, fresh from a one-day series sweep in Sri Lanka, heads to South Africa for a five ODI which, should they win, would firmly establish them at the top of world ODI rankings.

The Australians are boosted by an unexpected absentee for the home side, with inspirational South African captain AB de Villiers, arguably the world's best batsman, set to not only miss this series but the upcoming test series between these two nations in Australia.

De Villiers requires elbow surgery, leaving Faf Du Plessis to skipper the side starting with Friday's opening ODI against the Australians at Centurion.

Despite De Villiers' absence, according to website AustralianGambling, the Proteas go into this series as $1.70 favorites, while the tourists, who have won nine of the past 14 matches between the two sides, are $2.15 outsiders.

Australia has weaknesses of their own ahead of this series, having decided to leave damaging paceman Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood at home to prepare for the Australian summer. Scott Boland and John Hastings lead a pace attack which features untried talent Chris Tremain, Joe Mennie and Daniel Worrall.

Adam Zampa continues to press his claims as Australia's first-choice spinner in this format. He continues to get wickets, including three in the recent warm-up ODI against Ireland, a match Australia won easily, and is $4 to get the most wickets in the first match.

Usman Khawaja made 82 in that match, while Steve Smith compiled 59. However, David Warner's 48 off 30 balls was probably the most promising sign for the Australians heading into this series. Unsurprisingly, Warner is $3.75 to be the top run scorer in the first match, where he is likely to be rejoined by Aaron Finch, who is at $4.50.

Khawaja is likely to be dropped despite his heroics against Ireland, but he is still currently in the leading run-scorer market at $4.33.

Series between South Africa and Australia are always tightly fought, and both teams will be keen to begin well. The first match at Centurion is crucial. Australia and South Africa have played at this venue on six previous occasions and split their matches three apiece.

The match gets underway at 9:30 a.m. AEST on Friday, September 30.

A Pakistan fan with a very safe pair of hands won the trip of a lifetime on Sunday, when he dived over the advertising boards to reel in a brilliant catch from the crowd during the fifth one-day international against England.

The tourists were motoring towards England's score of 302-9 when Sarfraz Ahmed, who top-scored with 90, launched a huge six off the bowling of Chris Woakes.

The ball sailed over Ben Stokes, who was fielding on the boundary rope, but ended up in the waiting hands of Mateen Sharif, who threw himself forwards to take the impressive catch.

Sharif celebrated wildly with his fellow spectators—and Stokes—perhaps because he knew the catch had just won him a trip to Australia on behalf of lager brand Fosters.

Catches win...vacations?

[Twitter, h/t Cricket Country]

Australia's tour of Sri Lanka looked headed for disaster after a series Test sweep but in a matter of a few days things have turned around for the tourists, who can seal a one-day international series win in the fourth one-day international at Dambulla on Wednesday.

After Australia won the first game and Sri Lanka dominated the second, a patient George Bailey's knock of 70 enabled the visitors to patiently chase down a winning target of 227 in the most recent game on Sunday. They had four overs left, but just two wickets, making it a closer run thing than it probably should have been.

Adam Zampa has been the great revelation of this series, taking back-to-back three-wicket hauls to give Australia some bite with the slow ball. The leggie now has 19 wickets in 10 ODIs since his debut earlier this year, while he has done this at an impressive economy rate of 4.91. Only three spinners in Australian ODI history have a better career strike rate than Zampa.

Zampa goes into the match as the $3.75 second favorite, according to AustralianGambling.com, to take the most wickets behind Mitch Starc, who is $3.50, having claimed eight wickets in the series to date, while James Faulkner, who is the leading wicket-taker of the series with nine, including a hat-trick in the second match, is $4.50.

The man the Aussie bowlers have really struggled to dismiss this series has been Dinesh Chandimal, who has compiled innings of 80 not out, 48 and 102. He is a surprisingly good value to top Sri Lanka's scorers for the third time in four matches at $4.50 ahead of Kusal Mendis. Chandimal's wicket is the most crucial to Australia securing an unbeatable 3-1 series lead.

The hi-bat market for Australia is more a reflection of opportunity than form with stand-in skipper David Warner the $4.33 favorite to top score despite innings of eight, one and 10 in the series to date. His fellow opener Aaron Finch is second pick at $4.50, and while he is in slightly better form, having made 56, four and 30, the Aussie openers have struggled to make a start.

With usual captain Steve Smith "resting" at home, that has put the pressure on the middle order, especially Bailey and Matt Wade, who have both performed well. Bailey, who was top scorer last time and is $5 to do it again, has put together innings of 39, 27 and 70, while Wade ($8.50 to top-score) has provided some steel with knocks of 26, 76 and 42.

With the momentum in Australia's favor, they go in as $1.74 favorites to win this match, with Sri Lanka at $2.10. Given the way the series has evolved and Australia's relative comfort against spin in this format of the game, they are in a great position to secure an unassailable 3-1 lead.