SYDNEY, Feb 11: Australia look set to retain below-par batsman Mark Waugh for their Test team in the upcoming series in South Africa.

Former Test skipper turned selector Allan Border said Monday Waugh was likely to play in the opening tour match against South Africa ‘A’ starting Sunday and the first Test in Johannesburg five days later.

Waugh had a poor run in the just-ended one-day series against New Zealand and South Africa but Border said Waugh and the rest of the Australian batting line-up involved in the comprehensive Test series win over South Africa earlier this year was likely to play the first Test.

“We’ll probably play pretty close to our Test line-up in that first game,” Border said.

“It makes sense to do that. There’s no reason to change too much. They’ve been playing very, very well, so barring injury or illness you’d expect the Test side would be pretty much as it was during the summer.”

Waugh averaged 35 and 32.25 in the Test series against New Zealand and South Africa.

But Darren Lehmann, who has been included in the 15-man squad, was expected to take over from Waugh if the 36-year-old struggles for runs in South Africa.

The one-day side for a series against South Africa and Zimbabwe will not be named for two more weeks but Border did not expect to see many changes from the side that failed to reach the one-day series finals against New Zealand and South Africa.

“I don’t see any reason to make wholesale changes. We’ve got some fantastic cricketers there,” he said.

“Yes, they didn’t perform at their best, particularly in those first three one-day games, which cost us a place in the final.

“Obviously we’ve got to have some long-term thinking about the World Cup coming up in 12 months’ time and how we approach that. But I’d be very surprised if there were any major changes.”—AFP