As Australia slumped to a 2-0 deficit in their Test series against South Africa, the focus was on the home side’s floundering efforts. Australia can learn from the Proteas how to haul themselves out of this mess.
South Africa have turned things around in a remarkable fashion after earlier this year falling into just as deep a crevasse as the one Australia currently find themselves trapped in.
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» Five talking points from Australia’s humiliation
» Second Test scorecard – Australia vs South Africa
Leading into this current series, South Africa had won only two of their past ten Tests. 12 months ago they had their own summer of horror, like the one currently unfolding for Australia, losing 5-1 combined across series in India and at home against England.
By the end of that summer, which was marred by constant batting collapses, few South African players had firm grips on their spots, injuries were plaguing the Proteas, and team unity was dissolving, with rumours of several senior players considering retirement, partly because of unrest over selection policies.
South African Test cricket was a shambles. Then-skipper AB de Villiers was reported to be mulling over an early retirement, as was seam bowler Vernon Philander, who has destroyed Australia the past fortnight.
At the time South African media also suggested champion paceman Dale Steyn might join that pair in retirement. These reports emerged as South Africa was being comprehensively outplayed at home by England.
The Proteas lost that series 2-1, with their sole victory coming in a dead rubber in the fourth Test. Similar to Australia, it was South Africa’s batting which was dragging them down. In the first Test against England they were in a decent position in their first innings at 2-100 before then losing 6-50. In the second dig of that match they collapsed from 1-85 to be all out for 174.
Things only got worse for the Proteas as they were rolled for 83 in the third Test as they lost the match by seven wickets and handed England a series win. Key batsmen de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy all had awful series, averaging 30, 27 and 24 with the bat respectively, while opener Stiaan van Zyl averaged just 14 across three Tests.
The Proteas chopped and changed, using ten different players in their top six over that series as they scrambled to find a winning formula. The stability of the South African Test team had been undermined by a 3-0 thrashing in India just weeks before that series against England started.
South Africa’s average team total was spectacularly low at just 148 across their seven innings in that four-Test series. Their totals, in ascending order were 79, 109, 121, 143, 184, 185 and 214. A similarly nightmarish series awaits Australia who travel to India in February.
Yet, after this horrific 2015-16 summer, South Africa managed to regroup. First, they hosted New Zealand in August and, after a washed out first Test, they smashed the Kiwis by 204 runs in the second match. Key players Steyn, Philander, du Plessis and Duminy all returned to form and/or fitness.
They carried that momentum through into the home ODI series against Australia, pummelling the visitors 5-0. Now they’ve take another major stride forward by dominating Australia on their home turf. The boys in baggy greens have few positives to take out of this current series.
They should, however, take note of how their opponents managed to swiftly rebound from their own torrid summer just a year ago. To watch South Africa scythe through Australia’s batting line-up yesterday was to witness a side almost unrecognisable to the one which was thrashed by India and England.
They’ve shown it’s possible to turn your fortunes around in a short period of time even with limited or no input from their two best players Steyn and de Villiers.
It’s now up to Australia to prove they, too, can fight back from a position of great weakness.
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
I am sadly old ( nearly 65 ) meaning I have seen a fair few batsmen that I would view as 'complete' Even your mention of Hayden, for the style of batting and the endless amount of work he put into his game after initial failure and questions against him making it, he is deserving of the term The one name that keeps rumanating through my grey matter who would be very useful for the Aussies now is Simon Katich. A grafting batsman at the top and useful part time spinner- loved that guy as a player. So very gritty and tough as well with unspoken leadership
Amrit
Roar Guru
All Rabada has to do is to take less workloads and keep out of injury
Jay Dunbar
Roar Guru
I do understand that actually, they both are. Thing is, nearly every great batsman I can remember in my time of watching cricket was somewhat flawed. Are you referring primarily to their technique, or something else? On Matthew Elliott, I was a big Matt Hayden fan at the time. I couldn't believe they picked him instead of my man Haydos! But then I watched him bat, and wondered how Hayden would ever get in the team ahead of this bloke. Interesting comments by Tugga though, we could sure use a Matthew Elliott right now.
Amrit
Roar Guru
If you say CA is dying that's ridiculous. If you say there aren't any characters, that's falsity The fact of the matter is that they have lost 5 straight games and they are yet to find a solution to stop this downward spiral
Amrit
Roar Guru
Yeah Hazelwood is damn consistent, I've seen him for some time and he's really a good line and length bowler.
Amrit
Roar Guru
So what to do, replace them with young guns ?
Tim Holt
Roar Guru
Jay, I think you misunderstand, the names mentioned were youngsters not incumbents Cummins is indeed special but hard to have an effect when he is sadly always on the shelf thru injury :( But, on the topic, both Warner and Smith do not excite me for they are both fundamentally flawed. The last Aussie I loved watching was Clarke, for when he was on, he was truly breathtaking in his completeness
Amrit
Roar Guru
Exactly, I have been saying it for some time on the roar
Amrit
Roar Guru
"The Proteas chopped and changed, using ten different players in their top six over that series as they scrambled to find a winning formula." Really Ronan, I don't think it was more than two, first J.P Duminy got replaced by Dane Villas as wicket-keeper just b/c De Villiers did not like it, second one in the final test when Stephen Cook got selected ahead of Stain Van Zyl Temba Bavuma stayed in the team -played the last test at Delhi replacing Van Zyl and played through all the four matches against England Interesting couple of lines to drive your agenda - shift and sort for a better outcome
Jay Dunbar
Roar Guru
Tim, your negativity is getting old. Steve Smith averages almost 60 in Test cricket, and Dave Warner is on track to be one of Australia's great openers, but they don't excite you? Rabada is no doubt a special talent, but so is Pat Cummins. need I remind you of his MoM efforts in just his first test? obviously he has been injury riddled to this point but his body will stop betraying him one day soon. Add that to Mitch Starc and Hazelwood and we could yet have our best-ever pace attack. We've had a shocking series, and are far too reliant on too few (namely those I've mentioned), but we do have some great building blocks in place. There are obviously big issues in the Aussie set up, but let's not throw out the baby with the bath water?
Duncan
Guest
Schedule another test series against NZ. We are fabulous at resurrecting the careers of batsmen, and changing the fortune of teams.
DavSA
Guest
Absolutely correct Ronan and what SA did having already gone down convincingly to England 2-0 in the series was use the third test to just focus on regaining some confidence. They won that game and haven't looked back . The mental line is very fine in sport and particularly in a sport like cricket . The tiniest loss in batting rhythm means the difference between a fine edge to the keeper or middling it.
Nudge
Guest
That's the word
Brasstacks
Guest
"Key batsmen de Villiers, Faf du Plessis and JP Duminy all had awful series, averaging 30, 27 and 24 with the bat respectively." Problem is our batsmen have not scored that many runs combined for 5 tests leave alone average that much.
JamesH
Roar Guru
Simon... Smith and Hazlewood are CLEARLY world class. They have their faults, but so do Kohli, Williamson, Cook, Philander, Ashwin and Broad. Their results still speak for themselves. I think Australia gets better value from Hazlewood than Starc in tests. Hazlewood at least has the ability to hit a consistent area and ask questions of the batsmen every spell. Starc is occasionally brilliant (his three wickets on day one were great) but frequently wayward.
Swannies
Guest
Totally correct about playing for money. This Australian cricket side are a team of consummate professionals earning a very good income. They make great TV ads and brush up well in public. It's all about money as far as CA is concerned. The attitude is all about promoting T20 and getting into the IPL. Big deal if we lose...they have at least $250000+ coming their way each year and endorsements. Would be tragic to lose a contract with KFC or VB! Test cricket is dying folks...lets keep this gravy train rolling...money, money, money!
Andy
Guest
This article has no facts or thoughts as to how Australia will turn it around except for saying that because South Africa did it Australia can do it too. Which kind of ignores literally everything. If the whole idea is that because someone else did it so we can do it why dont we write an article where we find an Australia Kholi, Root, Williamson, Amla, we find another Gilchrist because we already found one so we can find another and because the West Indies found that awesome fast bowling unit of the 80s we find one of those too.
Andy
Guest
Sweet Mitch Marsh turning into Steve Waugh will also take care of our future captaincy issues. Problem solved.
Nudge
Guest
Marsh has played 18 tests not 46. He'd be pretty close to having 40 wickets anyway. We just got 2 runs from our no 6 at Hobart, so why not go for the guy who bowls at a standard of first class cricketers until we have 6 batsmen that can average 35 plus at test level. At the moment we have 3.
Dom
Guest
Smith has a better batting average than Warner and Hazlewood has a better bowling average than Starc. Just because Warner and Starc have great highlight reels doesn't mean they are necessary better than the other two - and I'd class all four in that world class bracket. As Rob says, there's certainly the makings of a good Test side there, especially when you consider how quickly teams like SAfrica have improved. It's possible we could dominate next summer like we did the last.