Will South Africa be able to extend their lead in the Test Ranking’s table? Part 1
After their most recent series win (1-0) over the home side in Australia, the South African Captain is looking to widen the gap between the Proteas and other teams on the Test ranking table to surpass the legacy of his predecessors. But the question remains,
will he be able to keep his side at the top?
Since taking over as the Captain of the side in less than one year after cementing his place in the playing XI, Smith is by far the most successful skipper in the history of South African cricket. Surpassing Hansie Cronje, Smith has been able to secure 45
Test wins for the Proteas, compared to Conje’s 27.
After Smith took over in 2003, relentless hard work and conviction was required to make the players perform as a unit. His efforts bore fruit when the Proteas reached the top of Test rankings in 2009, and then again this year, after winning an away series
against England.
Averaging just under 50, Smith has also played a vital role as an opener for the side over the years with 26 hundreds and 35 fifties to his name. With such an able skipper at the helm, the Proteas are further blessed with some of the best players in world
cricket at the moment.
Tagged as one of the best in the business, Hashim Amla, has performed most consistently for South Africa over the last few years. Averaging over 50, Amla has played a key role for his side on several occasions, including the most recent encounter against
Australia at Perth. Scoring an impressive 196, Amla took the game away from Australia and thereby helped his side retain their top position in the rankings.
Add to that Jacques Kallis, considered one of, if not the best all-rounder in the world of Test cricket. Averaging just under 57 runs per game, Kallis has been the backbone of the South African side for quite a few years now. He is not only solid with his
batting but also very lethal with his medium pace, affording South Africa the luxury to play 7 front-line batsmen.
“We can pick a No.7 batter and that has helped us in certain situations. We don't take that combination lightly. We know how important that is to our Test side in terms of the performances that we all want. There might come a time when we need to look at
it another way but for now we have that,” Coach Gary Kirsten shared earlier.
Since taking over the gloves from Mark Boucher earlier this year, AB de Villiers has proven his critics entirely wrong. Those who questioned his ability to bat along with keeping wickets, were answered with an inspiring 169-run knock at Perth.
Replacing JP Duminy, who himself is a very solid batsman down the middle-order, Faf du Plessis impressed the world with his consistent performance at Adelaide and Perth. Practically standing like an iron wall between Australia’s win in the second encounter,
du Plessis showed nerves of steel to save the game for his side.
Continued in Part 2...
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