South Africa look to reverse trend
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
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Since the retirement of Shane Warne, Australia are no longer the complete team. If South Africa were to beat them, then we can realistically anticipate a new world order, writes Vic Marks in the Observer.
South Africa have not lost a series since they toured Sri Lanka in 2006 so they have every right to be bullish. But do they really believe they can win against Australia? They have never managed a series victory against them in eight attempts since their readmission to world cricket ... In this era South Africa have won just one Test in Australia - in Sydney on the 1993-94 tour. In all, these teams have played 25 Tests against one another since readmission, Australia have won 15, South Africa four. So we can understand how the phoney war is playing out.
We have been here before but there is a general expectation - outside Australia, at any rate - that in Graeme Smith's South Africans a visiting team is about to embark on a Test series on Australian soil that they are genuinely capable of winning, writes Simon Wilde in the Sunday Times.
If they were to win the series that opens in Perth on Wednesday, South Africa would be the first side to win series in England and Australia in the same year since West Indies 20 years ago, and that would represent a significant "double". But they have so many times flattered to deceive that it will take more than a recent run of good form to convince sceptical Aussies that this time things will be different.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo