SA vs Australia: A Corker Of A Series : The Young India

Ananth Venkatesh

Adam Gilchrist

Contests between South Africa (SA) and Australia in cricket have historically been colossally competitive, considering that these two nations are proud of their sporting culture. The ongoing three-Test and five-match ODI series of Australia against SA promises to be exhilarating and delightful for the purist cricket lover.

With 20-20 menacing the two conventional formats of the game, Tests and One Day Internationals (ODI), the confrontation between the two Southern hemisphere rivals is surely going to thrill cricket connoisseurs worldwide.

Notwithstanding the unsurprising ascendancy of India in Tests and ODIs lately, the rivalry of ‘Safs’ and ‘Kangaroos’ has traditionally satiated the appetite of authentic cricket fanatics in the globe.

Australia has, however, for the most part, dominated in their contests against SA. Nevertheless, SA has displayed its strength occasionally as was evidenced by their triumph in their last five-match ODI against the Aussies in March 2006. That series will be remembered forever owing to the palpable extraordinariness in the performance of SA against the Aussies in the ultimate ODI, which witnessed the Safs hunting the gigantic Australian tally of 434.

SA has a stable team thanks to the pertinacity of the national selectors, chaired over the past 1 ½ years by the ex-convener Joubert Strydom. The stabilisation process, which entailed placing trust in the capabilities of certain batsmen and bowlers by giving them a decent amount of participation in international matches, has succeeded.

The bowling attack comprises an assortment of dissimilar fast bowlers. Dale Steyn has amply illustrated his skill and fearsomeness with the ‘red cherry’ in the past one year and Morné Morkel, in spite of worrisome inconsistency, is a resplendent discovery for SA. The federal selection committee needs to be lauded for persevering with him.

Dale Steyn

Makhaya Ntini, who lost the tenacity in his bowling earlier this year, has recently regained the robustness that has embodied his bowling ever since his arrival on the cricketing landscape.

Lonwabo Tsotsobe, after perpetrating pleasurable performances for his province in the internal cricket competitions of SA, has deservedly gained an opportunity to demonstrate his efficiency.

Paul Harris has certainly not been an unplayable spinner but has quietly performed his tasks in a reasonably effective mode. He exists to contain Australia. His batting too has improved. But he is feeble when compared to other bowlers in the team.

The batting of SA, which has proved its forcefulness persistently since the T20 Cricket World Cup (CWC) last year, is going to be the fulcrum about which the entire team should revolve. Graeme Smith, the able leader of the pack, and Neil McKenzie, who with his pleasant batting technique has enraptured his home supporters, have metamorphosed into a rather insuperable opening combination. These two, and not Jacques Kallis, are going to be the bedrock of the SA batting line-up.

graem-smith

Graem Smith

Smith, who definitely does not apply a fail-safe technique, has matured resplendently since he debuted in March 2002. His determinedness as the SA captain has enabled him to become a respectable chief.

The old-fashioned Ashwell Prince, about whom queries were raised unreasonably by detractors, has also been a remarkable batsman for SA. AB de Villiers has become a dependable No. 6.

Australia, without invincible stalwarts like McGrath, Warne and Gilchrist, will not be as formidable as in the past. But even the current squad possesses effectiveness with the ball and a plenitude of coruscating batsmen. The defeat against India in Oct-Nov would have made the Aussies even more determined in their goal of defeating SA.

The performance of the Aussies against the relatively emaciated NZL would have encouraged them immensely. The Aussie pacers put up a neat portrayal. At home, anyway, the Aussies have been a formidable unit since the early 1990s, not losing a single Test series since the 1992-93 loss to WI.

Cricket lovers hope that the acrimoniousness that prevailed in 2005-2006, due to the racial vilification of some SA players by Aussies and expatriate South Africans in the grounds, does not mar a potentially thrilling series.

South Africa-Australia series

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