The last time SA played a Test against Australia at Kingsmead in 2009, current captain Faf du Plessis was starting to make his run-making weight felt at franchise level. His two Titans team-mates, AB de Villiers and Morné Morkel, were already established Test regulars. The former has a huge point to prove, having not scored a Test century in 13 matches since January 2015, while the latter is winding down an international career that started at Kingsmead against India back in 2006. Either way, Du Plessis will need the pair to fire on all cylinders for the first Test against Australia that starts at Kingsmead on Thursday. There were broken fingers and chipped chins courtesy of Mitchell Johnson some nine years ago, and the Australian team — as competitive as ever — still pack a fearsome, young and skilful attack. De Villiers made a valiant but fruitless second-innings 84 while Morkel found himself dropped for the next Test after a caning at the hands of the late Phil Hughes.
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