Australian batsman Shaun Marsh has been ruled out of Sunday’s one-day clash with South Africa because of an abscess on his buttocks, but Mitchell Starc will play.

Marsh will undergo minor surgery on Sunday but it’s hoped he will be available for the second one-dayer in Adelaide on Friday.

D’Arcy Short replaces Marsh in the XI for Sunday’s game at Perth Stadium, with South Africa winning the toss and electing to bowl.
Australia opted against selecting a specialist spinner, with both Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa missing out on selection.

Starc, who suffered a minor hamstring niggle during last month’s Test series against Pakistan, will join Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Coulter-Nile in a powerful pace attack.

“We would have bowled first a well. There’s a bit of grass on it,” Australia skipper Aaron Finch said of the wicket.

South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis said the three-match series would be an important phase in the side’s preparations for next year’s World Cup in England.

“We are still searching trying to find a few combinations that will be the best for the World Cup,” du Plessis said.

“There will be some really good opportunities this series.”

Australia have lost 16 of their past 18 ODI matches and are desperate to turn that losing record around.

The fallout from the ball-tampering scandal and the brutal review into Cricket Australia’s culture are still reverberating around the Australian camp.

AUSTRALIA:
Aaron Finch (capt), Josh Hazlewood, Alex Carey, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D’Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc
SOUTH AFRICA:
Faf du Plessis (capt), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Kagiso Rabada, Dale Steyn.

-AAP