Australia Decide To Rest Hilfenhaus And Siddle

Australia Decide To Rest Hilfenhaus And Siddle

Ben Hilfenhaus (left) and Peter Siddle will play no further part in the Australia-South Africa series

©REUTERS / Action Images

Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle, whose lion-hearted efforts nearly earned Australia a Test victory over South Africa in Adelaide, will not feature in the third and final match in Perth.

The pair will be rested, meaning one or both of quick bowlers John Hastings or Josh Hazlewood will make their Test debut as Australia search for a series win.

The match will be former captain Ricky Ponting's last after he announced his retirement earlier today. The latest match odds from bet365 make Australia 13/10 favourites, South Africa 11/8 and a third draw in a row is the 7/2 outsider.

The series is tantalisingly poised at 0-0 after draws in Brisbane and Adelaide, the latter the most dramatic as Francois du Plessis scored a century on debut, batting throughout the final day to save the match.

South Africa also have concerns of their own heading into the game. Jacques Kallis suffered a hamstring strain in Adelaide and is likely to play, if he makes the line-up at all, as a batsman only.

With Imran Tahir struggling for form and confidence, left-arm spinner Robin Peterson could play his first Test since 2008 while all-rounder Vernon Philander is tipped to return after a back injury forced him to withdraw from Adelaide hours before the start of the match.

Australia (from): Michael Clarke (captain), Shane Watson (vice-captain), Ed Cowan, Josh Hazlewood, John Hastings, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

South Africa (possible line-up): Graeme Smith (captain), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wicket-keeper), Jacques Rudolph, Francois du Plessis, Vernon Philander, Robin Peterson, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn

© Cricket World 2012