Stephen Cook, Bavuma upbeat ahead of WACA

Hashim Amla may have sidestepped Peter Siddle's tauntregarding South Africa's batting line-up as predictable mind games ahead of Australia's home season opener, but recent history suggests it is a point the visitors are most likely to ponder over.

If their abysmal performance in the 3-0 defeat in India wasn't alarming enough, South Africa's 2-1 defeat to England at home in four-match series raised serious questions of the abilities of a side that had not very long ago held the top spot in Tests for nearly a year-and-a-half (between August 2014 to January 2016).

After a face-saving win in the fourth Test against England, South Africa set things right in the two-game affair against New Zealand, winning the series 1-0 at the back of a 204-run victory in Centurion.

However, playing in Australia at the start of their season is a completely different ball game. In the lead up to the first fixture, at the WACA from November 3 (Thursday), the gloves are already off as players are indulging in what they term as 'gamesmanship'.

The absence of AB de Villiers further cranks up the pressure on the visitors, thereby putting the spotlight on the relatively inexperienced batsmen in the line-up. While Quinton de Kock's rich vein of form will hold him in good stead, a massive test awaits opener Stephen Cook and middle-order batsman Temba Bavuma.

Cook, who made his Test debut against England in January, hasn't had the best of start to his tour - with scores of 5, 12 and 0 in the warm-up games in Adelaide. By his own admission, he isn't too 'perturbed'.

"I haven't scored that many runs since I've been here but I'm not too perturbed by that. Things were pretty good in a couple of domestic games back home and I've felt like I've been in decent touch," Cook said on Tuesday (November 1). The sense of self-confidence is not without sound reason, as the left-hander notched up a useful and unbeaten 97 for his domestic side Lions at the Wanderers before boarding the flight to Australia.

Cook has just three Tests to his name but the 33-year-old has featured in over 150 first-class fixtures and is mindful enough to not to read too much into his lack of runs in the warm-up games.

"We all hit the ground running when it gets to the real stuff. Sometimes a lot gets read into practice games and situations like that but I've played this game for long enough to know that there's no direct correlation between the two," he added.

Bavuma, who made his Test debut in December 2014, impressed with a century in Cape Town and an unbeaten 78 in Centurion - both against England - giving his side a few positives to take forward from an otherwise disappointing home series. He had two scores in the 40s against New Zealand and will need to consolidate his promising start, if he is it cement his spot in the middle-order. The 26-year-old diminutive batsman is well aware of what lies ahead.

"My first Test was a dream, but as cricketers we're never satisfied. You get a taste for something and you want more. This is an iconic series. It's been a series in which a lot of players' and a lot of teams' careers have been defined. Therein lies another wonderful opportunity for us as a team. It's for me as an individual to make my stamp and put my mark on it," he said.

The three-match Test series will begin Perth on November 3, before making a long travel across the continent to Hobart for the second game from November 12 and then to South Australia for the third and final fixture from November 24.