Ananth Venkatesh

[Australia enjoyed unquestioned supremacy in international cricket. However, the resurgence of the South African and the Indian cricket team and the retirement of the finest Australian players has caused the downfall of Australian cricket. Currently it is grappling with consistency and defending increasing accusations of sledging and rudeness
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The success of South Africa (SA) in the 5-match one-day series against Australia along with its resplendent accomplishments in the preceding 3-Test series is a testament to the effectiveness of the overall structure of the country’s cricketing establishment.

The central selection committee chaired by the distinguished Mike Procter, the headship of the CEO Gerald Majola, the proficiency of the self-assured SA coach Mickey Arthur, the on-field leadership of Graeme Smith and the modestly productive Johan Botha and the indefatigable commitment by the SA contingent manufactured a dazzling phase for the Proteas ‘down under’, which will not be forgotten rapidly by the connoisseurs of cricket. The emergence of two players from previously disadvantaged communities, Lonwabo Tsotsobe and Jean-Paul Duminy, is evidence of the success of the transformation policy, which should hearten the hearts of the coloured communities in SA.
 

                            Jean-Paul Duminy

The duel between the Kangaroos and the Proteas, always intensely competitive, which commenced in the daunting Perth in December, was beforehand labelled as an intriguing contest. Australia, severely enfeebled by the voluntary departure of several brilliant players like McGrath, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, Langer, etc, were nevertheless expected to demonstrate their forcefulness in familiar home conditions. But ever since SA mauled the Australian self-belief at Perth in the first Test by surpassing the seemingly impenetrable target of 414 runs, the future seemed bland for Australia.

The self-belief of SA rescued them from a perilous predicament in the Melbourne Test as an incredibly unruffled Duminy, a coloured South African, and the tail-enders constructed a stunning recovery, which saw SA move from 141/6 to 459. The faster bowlers embodied their fearsomeness, headed by the tirelessly determined Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini. Their potency amazed many Australian batsmen, who simply did not possess the wherewithal to counter the SA bowlers’ efficiency.

The SA batsmen imposingly countered the collective armoury of the Aussie bowlers.

AB de Villiers, who has intensified his valuableness for SA since debuting in December 2004, contributed crucially to the SA chase of 414 by hammering a magnificent century. Duminy portrayed fidelity to his pre-series billing as a promising player. His glorious calmness characterized his 166 in the Melbourne battle.

Smith, of course, managed SA inspirationally in all the three Tests, contributing colossally with the willow, only to be mournfully interrupted by a vicious short ball delivered by Johnson in the Sydney encounter. The hit forced him to retire hurt but he arrived hugely handicapped in the second innings of the Sydney Test with the endeavour to save SA from losing the inconsequential third rubber. Smith carried with him a persistently painful ‘tennis elbow injury’ into the series. Indian cricket aficionados will find the term tennis elbow familiar as it afflicted the genius Tendulkar as well.

The Australians performed with insipidness in certain phases of the Test series, which contributed to their defeat. The replacements for the retired stars couldn’t deliver noticeably lethal performances. Ponting, who batted credibly, found the assignment of captaining a rather inexperienced Australia without the veterans difficult. Johnson was the only bowler who bowled lethally.

The One Day International (ODI) series presented Australia with a wonderful opportunity to regain their lost pride. Eventually, it turned out to be disastrous for them. The SA one-day side, which is by no means deadly and is in the process of rebuilding, proved to be mighty for the Aussies. The fabulous Duminy, the explosive de Villiers, the traditionalist Amla, the reformed Gibbs and the blaster Albie Morkel played pivotal roles in the ODI series. Morné Morkel demonstrated his considerable improvement as a player. Wayne Parnell and Tsotsobe typified their skillfulness in the ultimate ODI. Steyn was terribly penetrative and deserves to be supplied the tag of the ‘Man of the Tour’.

The rejuvenation of Australia will take many months and they certainly aren’t unconquerable anymore. But the incontrovertible powerlessness of Australia shouldn’t deflect our attention from the fabulousness of the performance of SA, the deserving victors, the loss in the 2-match T20 series notwithstanding.
 

                        Ricky Ponting: Trying Times

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

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.