South Africa team manager Mohammed Moosajee reportedly said that both AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock are expected to be fit before the start of South Africa's Test series against Australia from March 1. However, captain Faf du Plessis and middle-order batsman Temba Bavuma’s chances of playing in the series still remain in doubt.

While de Villiers and de Kock are recovering from knee and wrist injuries respectively, du Plessis and Bavuma are out owing to finger-injuries.

South Africa skipper Francois du Plessis has a strong record against Australia, with an average of 59.14, a defiant century on debut in Adelaide, and a starring role in the series win in 2016. With his absence, the hosts will undoubtedly miss one of their most prolific batsmen.

South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn is just three wickets short of going past Shaun Pollock as the leading wicket-taker for the Proteas in Tests. He is not expected to be considered for selection until at least the third Test, which will be played in Cape Town from March 22. The quick has been sidelined due to a heel injury since their Test series against India.

"We've obviously had a lot of senior guys out injured and it's had an effect," Moosajee said. "But we are sure AB [de Villiers] and Quinton will be ready for the first Test and we are hopeful Faf will be. When he was diagnosed [on February 2] we knew he would require four to six weeks recovery time, which takes us, at the earliest, to the first week in March. So we have to take it on a week-by-week basis and see how he is progressing. The same with Temba, though he might be out for a week more than Faf."

After losing against India in an ODI home-series for the first time in 25 years, the Proteas were defeated in the first clash of the 3-match T20I as well. They desperately need the regular faces that sustained injuries, to join the team as soon as possible to take on the Baggy Greens.