The intrigue ahead of Australia's opening cricket fixture of the summer against South Africa last Sunday at Perth Stadium was palpable.

Cricket in this country has been wide off the mark since the cheating scandal in South Africa broke our hearts and middle order.

Sandpapergate turned rough for many of Australian cricket's biggest hitters ... we've since appointed a new captain (Tim Paine), vice-captains (Mitch Marsh, Josh Hazlewood), coach (Justin Langer) and CEO (Kevin Roberts) and will soon need to fill roles for departed chairman (David Peever), high performance manager (Pat Howard) and board member (Mark Taylor).

Long walk: The Australians leave the field after the heavy defeat in Perth. Credit:AAP

A damning cultural review in the wake of the South African debacle - The Longstaff Report - uncovered a win-at-all costs culture that was fostered from the very top of CA heirarchy to the grassroots level and eventually pushed Steve Smith, David Warner and WA's Cameron Bancroft to cheat in the most unimaginable way in Cape Town in March.