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Australia will look to secure a first series win over South Africa on home soil in 17 years when they take an unchanged team into the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.

The Proteas have won three successive series in Australia but are 1-0 down going into the traditional Melbourne blockbuster after being crushed by six wickets inside two days in the first Test at the Gabba.

Australia's last Test triumph over South Africa at home came under Ricky Ponting's captaincy during the 2005-06 summer.

A breakthrough series win over the Proteas would set Australia up nicely for a mammoth 2023 when they head to India in February for a four-Test series before trying to retain the Ashes in England.

"Going into next year we've got Indian conditions, Ashes, maybe World Test Championship final - for a Test cricketer it's probably the biggest year you could possibly have," captain Pat Cummins said.

"We've got an opportunity ahead of us to set a legacy for this team and it's so exciting."

Cummins is confident the second Test will last longer than the opening match, when 34 wickets tumbled during just six sessions of play.

Last year's MCG Test finished before lunch on the third day but conditions are not expected to suit fast-bowling as much this time around.

Scott Boland has retained his spot, with fellow quick Josh Hazlewood ruling himself out as he continues to recover from a side strain injury.

The Victorian fast bowler will return to the scene of his famous Test debut last December, when he ran through England with 6-7 to secure man-of-the-match honours and help Australia retain the Ashes.

Boland has taken 25 wickets in his five Tests at the miserly average of 10.36, coming back into the XI when Hazlewood hurt himself in the opening Test of the summer against West Indies in Perth.

Veteran opener David Warner will become just the 14th Australian to play 100 Tests when he lines up against the Proteas, but is facing a fight to bow out of red-ball cricket on his own terms after not making a century in the format since January 2020.

The Boxing Day Test, always a memorable occasion, will be even more special this year as Cricket Australia pay tribute to legendary spin king Shane Warne.

Among other tributes, players from both sides will all wear floppy hats during the national anthems in tribute to the cricket icon, who died suddenly in March.

© AAP 2022

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Football Australia has flagged Melbourne Victory will receive the strongest sanctions in the sport's history for their fans' violent pitch invasion after initially handing down various crowd restrictions.

Victory have been blocked from selling tickets to home games while their fans cannot attend away fixtures under FA's initial sanctions.

The club was given a show cause notice after 150 spectators stormed the AAMI Park pitch in Saturday night's A-League Men contest against Melbourne City, forcing the abandonment of the match.

City goalkeeper Tom Glover suffered a concussion and facial laceration when he was hit with a metal bucket wielded by a pitch invader while referee Alex King, a TV cameraman and two security guards were also injured in the melee.

Interim sanctions are in place until January 15 while FA completes the show cause process and considers further punishments, which could include points deductions and fines.

"There will be a mixture of financial and sporting measures that would be in addition to these immediate sanctions that would come into force in the next one to two weeks," FA chief executive James Johnson told reporters.

"We did feel that if we had a blanket ban, not only would we be specifically targeting those individuals whose behaviour is unacceptable, but we would also be targeting the many families in particular who are very good fans and who we welcome to football.

"If you could combine the individual bans with these sanctions with what is coming in the next couple of weeks, I don't think there'll be many sanctions that have been applied at this level of strength in the history of the code."

Victory fans are barred from their away men's Boxing Day clash with Western United at AAMI Park.

Only United members and fans who bought a ticket before 11am Friday can attend, with other tickets to be refunded.

Any related ticket operator charges are at Victory's expense.

United were exploring how to prevent Victory fans from buying a membership and attending.

Victory managing director Caroline Carnegie urged supporters "to do the right thing, not try and circumvent what's been put in place" when speaking to media on Friday evening.

Victoria Police plan to have "a highly visible police presence" at the game.

Victory fans cannot attend away men's games against Central Coast on New Year's Eve or Adelaide United on January 14, with away bays to be closed.

Tickets associated with a Victorian postcode or believed to be for Victory fans will be refunded.

Only Victory members can attend their home games, with home and away active areas closed and other tickets refunded.

"We need to ensure the safety of those that are in the stadium," Johnson said.

"The rationale through membership is that we know where they live."

FA confirmed fans could still buy Victory memberships.

On January 6, the men host Brisbane Roar and the women play Perth Glory.

Carnegie confirmed A-League Women games weren't part of Friday's sanctions and said the club would work with FA on what that meant for double-headers.

Melbourne City's home and away active bays will also be cordoned off at home games until otherwise advised as FA reviews City supporters' derby conduct.

Victoria Police confirmed 29 people had been arrested over the pitch invasion, with 24 - including 11 men aged between 18 and 38 dealt with on Friday - so far facing charges, while a total of 36 have been identified.

FA has also handed out bans, ranging from five years to life bans, preventing the pitch invaders from attending or participating in football.

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A Qantas flight heading from Singapore to London has made an emergency landing in Azerbaijan after the pilots received an intermittent fault indicator in the cockpit.

Flight tracking services on social media reported the A-380 aircraft making a 180 degree turn near Tbilisi in Georgia squawking 7700 (meaning an emergency situation) and landing in Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku on Friday.

A Qantas spokesperson confirmed to AAP on Friday afternoon the plane had touched down in Baku without incident.

"Our flight from Singapore to London has made an unscheduled landing at Baku Airport in Azerbaijan after pilots received an intermittent fault indicator in the cockpit," they said.

"Engineers will inspect the aircraft prior to continuing its journey".

The airline said the the alarm intermittently alerted pilots to the potential of smoke in the cargo hold but initial investigations have found no evidence of smoke.

"Although it was considered likely to be a sensor fault, the aircraft diverted to Baku as a safety precaution," the spokesperson said.

Passengers are expected to continue their journey to London soon.

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Football Australia have flagged Melbourne Victory will receive the strongest sanctions seen in the sport's history for their fans' violent pitch invasion after initially handing down various crowd restrictions.

Victory have been blocked from selling tickets to home games while their fans cannot attend away fixtures under FA's initial sanctions.

The club were given a show cause notice after 150 spectators stormed the AAMI Park pitch in Saturday night's A-League Men contest against Melbourne City, forcing the abandonment of the match.

City goalkeeper Tom Glover suffered a concussion and facial laceration when he was hit with a metal bucket wielded by a pitch invader while referee Alex King, a TV cameraman and two security guards were also injured in the melee.

FA is yet to fully determine final sanctions as it has not completed the show cause process.

Temporary sanctions are in place until January 15 while FA considers further punishments, which could include points deductions and fines.

"There will be a mixture of financial and sporting measures that would be in addition to these immediate sanctions that would come into force in the next one to two weeks," FA chief executive James Johnson told reporters.

"We did feel that if we had a blanket ban, not only would we be specifically targeting those individuals whose behaviour is unacceptable, but we would also be targeting the many families in particular who are very good fans and who we welcome to football.

"If you could combine the individual bans with these sanctions with what is coming in the next couple of weeks, I don't think there'll be many sanctions that have been applied at this level of strength in the history of the code."

Victory fans are barred from their away men's Boxing Day clash with Western United at AAMI Park.

Only United members and fans who had bought a ticket before 11am Friday can attend, with other tickets to be refunded.

Any related ticket operator charges are at Victory's expense.

United were exploring how to prevent Victory fans from simply buying a membership and attending the fixture.

Victoria Police plan to have "a highly visible police presence" at the game.

Victory fans cannot attend away men's games against Central Coast on New Year's Eve or Adelaide United on January 14, with away bays to be closed.

Tickets associated with a Victorian postcode or believed to be for Victory fans will be refunded.

Only Victory members are able to attend their January 6 double-header, where the men play Brisbane Roar and the women play Perth Glory, with other tickets refunded.

The club's home and away active areas have been closed.

"We need to ensure the safety of those that are in the stadium," Johnson said.

"The rationale through membership is that we know where they live."

FA confirmed fans could still buy Victory memberships.

Victory women host Canberra United on December 31 and play City away on January 14.

Melbourne City's home and away active bays will also be cordoned off at home games until otherwise advised as FA reviews City supporters' derby conduct.

Victoria Police confirmed 29 people had been arrested over the pitch invasion, with 24 - including 11 men aged between 18 and 38 dealt with on Friday - so far facing charges, while a total of 36 have been identified.

FA has also handed out bans, ranging from five years to life bans, preventing the pitch invaders from attending or participating in football.

© AAP 2022