What awaits over the next month is absolutely mouthwatering. The South Africans have lost their champion all-rounder Jaques Kallis but Graeme Smith will walk out to toss the coin at a venue the hosts have, in 18 Tests, lost at just once.
And that one loss was through the highly dubious suggestion of disgraced Proteas skipper, the late Hansie Cronje, who insisted both sides should forfeit an innings.
This team have not dropped a series in five years and are ahead of second-placed India on the ICC Test Championship rankings by the length of the straight.
Australia has every right to head into the first Test at Centurion Park with confidence despite the loss of Shane Watson and arguably his replacement James Faulkner through injury.
You can only beat what’s put in front of you, and despite their back room shenanigans, England entered the recent Australian summer as a hardened and confident outfit fresh from a a three-zip Ashes series win at home and were sent home broken, beaten and scarred by a unified home side with a chip on their shoulder.
On paper the Australians match-up reasonably well, particularly in the bowling stocks with both attacks having quite reasonable claims to being the best in the world.
Both keepers are in career-best form, with Brad Haddin making a habit of saving his side’s bacon over the recent Ashes series while AB de Villiers has averaged 65.23 with the stick since taking the gloves from Mark Boucher in July 2012.
It is the batting where the tourists need to fire should they hope to retain their pristine record in South Africa.
The top order has to stand up and be counted, as it is hard to imagine Dale Steyn and his fellow quicks allowing Haddin to flat bat long hops to cow corner and pull the Australians out of the mire once again as he did this summer.
Smith v Rogers, Petersen v Warner, Amla v Doolan/Hughes/Marsh, de Villiers v Haddin, Duminy v Smith, du Plessis v goodness knows…
Doesn’t look all that great from an Australian fan’s perspective.
But cricket is a thinking man’s game. And South Africa have had a bit of trouble getting the job done at home against their Antipodean rivals.
Dig this: since being welcomed back into the post-Apartheid world cricket fold, South Africa have never beaten Australia in a Test series at home. In fact, on paper they haven’t come close.
If you take out the clean sweep of 2006, in the remaining three series they have lost since 1994 the Proteas have won nothing but dead rubbers. The South African batting line-up has rotted from the head in the opening Tests.
3 for 25 at Wanderers in 1997 before battling to 302 on the back of a fighting 72 not out from keeper Dave Richardson before the Australians answered with 8 for 628 declared.
3 for 55 chasing Australia’s mammoth 652 to be all out for 159 at Wanderers in 2002.
5 for 76 en route to a first innings total of 205 after choosing to bat at Newlands in 2006.
Reduced to 2 for 2 then 3 for 49 on the way to 220 chasing 466 at Wanderers in 2009.
In the two remaining drawn series, they had their noses in front winning the firsts Tests in 1994 and 2011 before having their hopes dashed by brilliant performances from Steve (86 and 5-fer) and Mark Waugh (113 not out) and then Pat Cummins (6 for 79) respectively.
A nasty business. Five wins in 17 Tests must stick in their craw.
So who knows? It is critical that the Australian top order fires but that old maxim rings true – “bowlers win Tests.”
If Mitchell Johnson, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle can make early in-roads into South Africa’s star-studded line-up in the Saffas’ first dig then old wounds may be opened up.
Maybe.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Australia have reclaimed top spot in the ICC's Test rankings, replacing India. Despite not playing since winning 2-0 in New Zealand in March, Pat…
Yashasvi Jaiswal was looking comfortable at 67 off 40, until this moment when he hit the ball into his own stumps!
The Aussie made his 50 off 37 balls, for his fourth half-century of the season as his Sunrisers Hyderabad went on to beat Rajasthan…
Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. This quote is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but nobody knows if he…
This series’ twelfth and final team has a distinct West Indian flavour at the top of the order, and a domineering captain.
Mitch Marsh has been appointed as Australia's men's Twenty20 captain, set to lead a squad to the World Cup that does not include Steve…
