By continuing its pre-World Cup experiment of rotating players Australia risks letting struggling South Africa captain Graeme Smith free from his shackles.
His nemesis this summer, Brett Lee, has been rested for tonight's VB Series match at Melbourne's Telstra Dome, bringing a sense of relief to the South African camp, however temporary.
"I suppose it does release the shackles slightly," South African coach Mickey Arthur said before training yesterday when he found out Lee would not be playing. "I think there will be one or two happier batters out there when I tell them the news."
Smith has struggled against Australia all summer, managing a top score of just 39 through 10 Test and one-day international innings.
Lee has dismissed Smith four of those times, the last in Australia's previous match against South Africa, at Telstra Dome a fortnight ago.
Ricky Ponting is delighted that his bowlers have flattened Smith in the same way they exploited West Indian captain Jimmy Adams and New Zealand skipper Stephen Fleming on previous tours.
He wants to ensure Australia maintains its hold over the South African captain during the one-day finals and the following tour of South Africa.
"He's statistically a very good player and our guys have bowled very well to him," Ponting said.
"Brett in particular has bowled very well to him. The plans that we have set for him have worked very well and we've got a few more opportunities now to keep him under pressure.
"Obviously when we get over there it would be nice to have him under pressure in South Africa as well, in front of his home crowd."
Arthur said it was important for the finals and the looming tour to have Smith again making big scores.
"Hopefully he scores heavily at the back end of this tournament and takes his momentum to South Africa for the return leg," Arthur said.
"Psychologically for himself and the team as well. When he leads up front the confidence just increases in the dressing rooms."
Ponting conceded that the resting of Lee may let Smith off the hook but claimed the policy of giving senior players a break had worked, with Gilchrist beating a slump after a two-match break and Ponting feeling refreshed follow a week's rest.
"You'd like to have Brett in your side all the time but we have to manage the squad as well as we can and manage him as well as we can," Ponting said.
"He's been a great weapon for us in both forms of the game over the last 12 months and we've just got to be a bit careful with him."
Australia will take in a tall pace attack with Brett Dorey, in just his third match, and Stuart Clark, in only his seventh, the support for Glenn McGrath. Nathan Bracken is also resting, and James Hopes is the super-sub.
"There's one eye on looking a bit further ahead," Ponting said.
Even though the World Cup in the Caribbean is more than a year away, Ponting believes there will be few changes to the core of the squad between now and then.
"We've got to hopefully get a look at some other players," he said. "In saying that I think out team at the moment is pretty settled, but anything can happen in the amount of time we've got before the World Cup.
"We can have form slumps. We can have injuries. We have to have sufficient back-up.
"It won't be much wider than the squad at the moment. We won't be making drastic changes."
- MALCOLM CONN