Confident South Africa look to make progress in LG ICC Test Championship table

South Africa, with their confidence sky-high after a world-record ODI run-chase against Australia, will be looking to make progress in the LG ICC Test Championship table when the two sides resume hostilities in Cape Town on Thursday.

Graeme Smith's side are currently a lowly sixth in that Test ladder with 99 rating points, and either side of the New Year they lost their three-match Test series in Australia 2-0.

But after hammering Australia's bowlers for 438 in 49.5 overs at The Wanderers on Sunday, now seems as good a time as any for South Africa to come up against Ricky Ponting's team and try to move up the Test table.

Even a drawn series will be enough for the Proteas to leapfrog fifth-placed New Zealand (100 rating points) and if they win the series they can move within touching distance of fourth-placed Pakistan (108).

Victory by one Test (1-0 or 2-1) will lift South Africa to 105 points while a 2-0 success will take them to 106 points and a clean-sweep will give them 107 rating points, just behind Inzamam-ul-Haq's line-up.

Of course, Australia will have plenty to say about that. They may have been fallible in ODIs over the past few months but Tests are a different discipline, their attack will include several players not involved last Sunday and they have been impressive in the longer form of the game ever since surrendering The Ashes last September.

Ponting's side beat the ICC World XI in October's Johnnie Walker Super Test before further wins in five of their six home Tests against the West Indies and South Africa.

And they are a massive 16 points ahead at the top of the LG ICC Test Championship table leading into this series.

Even a 3-0 loss will still leave them 10 points clear of second-placed England while, if they win all three Tests, Australia will enjoy an 18 point buffer between themselves and their nearest rivals.

In the LG ICC Player Rankings, the intriguing aspect of the series is that while Australia seem to hold the advantage in batting depth, it is South Africa that appear to hold some bowling aces.

Australia have an astonishing six players in the top 20 batting slots, including the leading player in the world, Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden (4th), as well as Adam Gilchrist (13th), Justin Langer (14th), the recalled Damien Martyn (17th) and Michael Hussey (20th).

South Africa, by comparison, can boast only three players in those top 20 positions with Jacques Kallis, fit again after a long-term elbow injury, lying second, Herschelle Gibbs, fresh from his blistering 175 in Sunday's run-fest, in 12th and Smith in 18th spot.

With the ball, it is a more even story as South Africa have three fast bowlers in the top 20 - Makhaya Ntini (joint fifth), Andre Nel (ninth) and Shaun Pollock (11th).

Australia's leading bowler in the LG ICC Player Rankings for bowlers, second-placed Glenn McGrath, is unavailable for personal reasons, but close behind him is Shane Warne, in third position.

The leg-spinner has the perfect setting to perform with the opening Test in Cape Town, as it was the scene of his 100th Test four years ago when he won the man of the match award by capturing eight wickets and scoring 63 and 15 not out.

Warne should also know that a strong showing at Newlands could also take him back to the top of the rankings as he is just 12 rating points behind current leader, Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralidaran.

Australia's other bowlers in the top 20 are Jason Gillespie - overlooked for this tour - in 18th, Brett Lee, one spot below him and Stuart MacGill in joint 20th slot.

Further down the list are Kallis (25th) and the recalled pair of Australia's Michael Kasprowicz (30th) and Nicky Boje of South Africa (39th).

Kallis is the leading Test all-rounder in the LG ICC Player Rankings although England's Andrew Flintoff is breathing down his neck. Pollock is third while Warne is Australia's highest-placed player in that list, in ninth position.

The schedule for the South Africa - Australia Test series is as follows:

16 - 20 March - First Test, Cape Town
24 - 28 March - Second Test, Durban
31 March - 4 April - Third Test, Johannesburg

Full details of the current LG ICC Test Championship and how future results will impact on the table, as well as the LG ICC Player Rankings can be found here