Business as usual as Proteas bid for series win

The Standard Bank Proteas have the opportunity to achieve something special when they take on Australia in the second Test match starting at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart on Saturday, but captain, Faf du Plessis insists it will be business as usual for his squad. A win would make the Proteas only the second team after the legendary West Indies team of the eighties and early nineties to win three consecutive Test series against Australia in Australia.The hosts will take some comfort from their successful record at the ground, they have only lost one out of 12 matches over the last 27 years, a narrow 7-run defeat to New Zealand in 2011. For the Proteas, it is the first time they have held a 1-0 series lead on an away tour since Sri Lanka in 2014, and after series losses to India and England over the last 12 months, recent performances have given an indication of a squad on the rise and brimming with confidence. The conditions and inclement weather in Hobart have been the talking points in the build-up this week, and have prompted both teams to make a decision on the final XI on Saturday morning. The captain didn’t rule out the possibility of going with an all-seam attack, but says it will be reliant on the conditions above and the state of the pitch.