Australia's surrender to the familiar spin of Graeme Swann is not the best way to warm up for the mysterious platter India and Pakistan's spinners will serve at the Champions Trophy.
On face value Swann's five-wicket haul, coming in the seventh and final one-dayer with his team down 6-0, was meaningless. Both teams already have their eyes on South Africa and only pride was at stake.
Except for Australia, which bowed out in straight sets from the ICC World Twenty20 in June, it could be an ominous forewarning to its aspirations in Johannesburg and Pretoria where it is drawn to face spin kings India and Pakistan.
So early in South Africa's season, the conditions should be pace-friendly rather than conducive to spin but this year's Twenty20 showpiece - played in England in June - defied the rule and proved a tournament for spinners.
Australia expects the wickets to help the pacemen though its assessment of the fifth Test proved diabolically wrong.
The West Indies are likely to offer nothing more than a golden opportunity to fatten statistics so it will be matches featuring Australia, Pakistan and India that will determine which two progress to the semis.
As always, India and Pakistan's attack will be spearheaded by spin.
And spin in this day and age is exotic. Flippers and zooters have been replaced by doosras and carrom balls.
The latter, a delivery squeezed out between the thumb and middle finger which can spin either way or go straight on, has been brought back into vogue by Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis.
Such balls are not on the curriculum in Australia's spin colleges so bowlers and batsmen are equally in the dark about them.
Australia will not have to deal with Mendis until the semis, at the earliest, assuming it can negotiate the booby traps provided by public enemy No.1 Harbhajan Singh and Pakistan pair Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi.
Harbhajan is better known as an antagonist in Australia but don't forget he is a damn good bowler.
Super villains never get the last laugh but Harbhajan is the exception with the ball.
The doosra is a weapon but it's his wristy off-spin and ability to find waist-high bounce off a good length which has unsettled Australia's top six this decade.
Ajmal is another who can ruffle feathers, particularly Shane Watson's depending whether your paper is printed in English or Urdu.
The 31-year-old tweaker was controversially reported for a suspect action during the teams' five-match series in the UAE earlier this year, and felt Watson dobbed him into the umpires.
The dynamic Shahid Afridi, though not a big turner of the ball, is equally wily with his sliders and over-spin. He dismantled Australia with 6-38 in the UAE and, after leading his team to glory in the Twenty20, will back himself to again wreak havoc.
If Australia flops against spin in South Africa it faces another early exit from a major limited-overs tournament.