Australia’s new skipper Tim Paine says his players will “take care of each other”, as the last Test against South Africa got going – the first match since the sandpaper incident.

Ex-captain Steve Smith, Cameron Bancroft and David Warner have been banned, while mentor Darren Lehmann is responsible for his last Test in the wake of leaving.

Fans at the Wanderers Stadium held signs referencing Bancroft’s utilization of sandpaper to change the ball.

South Africa were 88-1 at lunch.

The home side won the toss, with Nathan Lyon taking the only wicket in the first session of the day and Aiden Markram was unbeaten at 53.

“It’s been a difficult week,” Paine told Sky Sports.

“It’s going to be a challenging week for the guys but we spoke about looking after each other and keeping each other up for the contest.”

“This series has been so draining,” added Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis. “There is so much stuff going on that I cannot imagine what it feels like in their dressing room.”

Australia named a new look group for the match, with Peter Handscomb supplanting Smith and Joe Burns and Matthew Renshaw coming in for Warner and Bancroft.

Chadd Sayers likewise made his Test debut in place of Mitchell Starc, who endured a stress fracture in his leg and will likewise miss the IPL.

South Africa, who are ahead 2-1 in the four-match series, are unaltered as they look to secure a first-historic home series triumph over Australia since 1970.