Ben Hilfenhaus is the Australian cricketer with the most to fear heading into the second Test in Adelaide.

Hilfenhaus may have been Australia’s most economical front-line bowler at the Gabba and took the last two South African wickets as the tourists made 450, but there’s no doubts he’s shaping as a scapegoat.

With tall left-armer Mitchell Starc waiting in the wings, the hosts can’t afford to field the same all-right-arm attack against the Proteas high-quality top-order on the batting friendly Adelaide Oval.

The South Africans were largely untroubled for four sessions on a green Gabba wicket which, while not harbouring the gremlins expected, wasn’t exploited by the quicks.

Australia’s pacemen all tried hard but none consistently hit the right line-and-length nor managed to get consistent swing to worry the batsmen.

Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis are class acts but both made batting look easier than it should have been on days one and three as they cruised to centuries in a 165-run, third-wicket stand.

It was only when the home bowlers adjusted their tactics and the tourists searched for runs ahead of a declaration that wickets started to tumble midway through Sunday.

It was young tearaway James Pattinson (3-93) who produced most fire and ensured a sub-500 total when he dismissed Kallis and AB de Villiers in quick succession after lunch when the score had been 3-374.

Peter Siddle (2-111) was far from his best but he remains the senior bowler in the attack and also produced the most venomous spell of an otherwise meek first day’s effort when he had Kallis caught off a no-ball then dropped a return catch off Amla.

Once the South Africans came on to bowl, they showed how to use the new ball, mostly pitching it up to catch edges of David Warner and Ricky Ponting.

There’s nine days in between the first and second Test, but Hilfenhaus (2-73) will find it hardest to sleep easy.

When the Tasmanian workhorse makes the ball swing he’s world class but when he doesn’t – like this weekend – he’s merely a hard-working military medium-pacer.

Twelfth man Starc’s left-arm variation will be far more important on a hard and flat Adelaide wicket.