Australia is now in South Africa to play a 3 test series followed by 3 T20s but the importance of the series has waned as South Africa seems to have the better arsenal than Australia which takes away the essence of an Aus-SA series. The minuscule crowd present at the ground on Day 1 of the 1st Test match tells us about the thoughts pervading among the fans in South Africa regarding this contest. More than a gruesome battle between the two rivals, this series might just be a litmus test for the re-building Australian side to test themselves against the best side in Test cricket in foreign conditions.
The Australians are still high on their 5-0 Ashes whitewash but that was at home and against a side struggling with form coupled with internal issues. This is against a side that is dominating world cricket currently by crushing their opponents not only at home but also away from it. The record for this Australian side, away from home is dismal. Last year they suffered a white-wash in India and then lost their Ashes campaign in England convincingly.
Apart from Michael Clarke, the Australian batting line-up looks a touch hollow. Though Chris Rogers and David Warner have been in good form, they have not yet shown their ability to score big runs against good quality attack like South Africa’s. Shaun Marsh’s presence in the middle order does give strength to it but his reputation as a batsman is restricted to the limited overs scenario. He is yet to prove his talent as a test batsman. Shane Watson’s exclusion from the 1st Test due to an injury makes the batting order even weaker. It will be a test for this team to tackle the likes of Steyn, Morkel and Philander, the best in this business.
When it comes to analyzing the bowling of this team, it is no less than a worry for the team. Ryan Harris has been an average bowler for them and has been ineffective with the old ball while the problem of finding the perfect replacement for Shane Warne still persists. Nathan Lyon has done better than the other spinners that have been tried in this team but his monotonous bowling is not the solution to the worries of this team longing for a spinner.
The star of the recently concluded Ashes series, Mitchell Johnson has been inconsistent throughout his career. His 37 wickets in 5 Tests was the only time that he has shown consistency during his career and all the eyes would be on him to perform on bouncy South African tracks which aids his type of bowling. Peter Siddle is the only bowler for Australia who has been consistent and that is the reason for him being in the squad more often than the others. Now the test for these bowlers would be to get the likes of Graeme Smith, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis etc. out twice in 5 days, which looks difficult for the time being, seeing the form these batsmen are in.
Australia and South Africa over the years have provided some of the great games for the cricket enthusiasts to enjoy, who can forget the famous ODI game where South Africa chased down a mammoth 434 or the last test series in Australia where de Villiers and du Plessis batted for 2 days to draw the 2nd test and then South Africa trumped the Aussies in the 3rd test to lift the series 1-0. With Jacques Kallis retiring from tests, the core of this team is definitely shaken but while playing against a side which is still in its re-building stage; this South African team would walk through the cake.
As I reach the conclusion of my argument, the main point that I raise is that this series will not be like the ones we have witnessed earlier. For South Africa it should be a series that they can easily win citing the resources they have to do the same while for Australia it will be like going through a litmus test to figure out the best combination they require in order to build a team that will dominate the world of cricket again.
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