Australia leads the first-ever multi-series between the countries 8 points to 4 after recording 2-1 victories in the T20I and ODI series, but South Africa can finish level with an upset win – a task made much harder without Kapp, who fell ill yesterday.
Spin is expected to play a factor amid hot weather throughout the match, but the surface for this match – which has a green tinge – has not been used so far this season.
Veteran Beth Mooney will open alongside Phoebe Litchfield having batted well at No.4 in the limited-overs series, while Healy will bat at No.5 like she did in India.
After historic first victories over Australia in the shorter formats, a youthful South Africa face a daunting challenge without Kapp in only their second Test match of the past decade.
This match is the first Test at the famous WACA since the men’s Ashes in December 2017, while the last women’s Test played there was a decade ago.
Perth, Australia’s sunniest city, has been in the grips of a heatwave with 43 degrees celsius forecast on day one. There had been hope of daily crowds of around 3000 for the 5000-capacity ground that is currently under redevelopment, but the figure is expected to be significantly lower on day one.
Australia: 1 Beth Mooney, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Alyssa Healy (capt, wk), 6 Annabel Sutherland, 7 Ash Gardner, 8 Sophie Molineux, 9 Kim Garth, 10 Alana King, 11 Darcie Brown
South Africa: 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Anneke Bosch, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Tazmin Brits, 5 Delmi Tucker, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Nadine de Klerk, 8 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 9 Nonkulueko Mlaba, 10 Masabata Klaas, 11 Ayanda Hlubi
