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In cricket terms, South African defeated Australia 3-1 in the just-concluded Test series, but in tennis terms they won 6-1, 6-1, 6-0.
Look at the statistics.
In the final Test at Johannesburg South Africa’s opening batsman Aiden Markram scored 152 runs in the first inning and skipper Faf du Plessis scored 120 in the second, outscoring Australia’s total of 119 runs in the second inning.
The top five run-scorers of the series were South Africans: Markram (480 runs at an average of 60.00), AB de Villiers (427 at the highest average of 71.16) and opener Dean Elgar (333 at 47.57).
Five centuries were scored in the series, all by South Africans: 152 and 143 by Markram, 141 not out by Elgar, 126 not out by de Villiers and 120 by du Plessis. Add to it the unbeaten 95 hit by Temba Bavuma.
The highest score by an Australian was 96 by Mitchell Marsh.
Only two bowlers took six wickets an inning and both were South Africans: Vernon Philander 6/21 and Kagiso Rabada 6/54. The only bowler to take 11 wickets in a Test was Rabada, 11/150 in Port Elizabeth.
Three of the four top wicket-takers were South Africans: Rabada with 23 wickets and an average of 19.26 at number one; Keshav Maharaj with 17 and an average of 33.64 at number three; and Philander with 16 and an average of 16.81 at number four.
Australia’s Pat Cummins comes at number two with 22 scalps at 21.45. Call it a consolation prize for Australia.
Three of the four men of the match were South Africans: Rabada in the second Test at Port Elizabeth, Morne Morkel in the third at Cape Town and Philander in the fourth at Johannesburg.
In the only Test Australia won – the first in Durban – Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc was voted the man of the match.
For his outstanding performances Rabada was the popular choice as the man of the series.
To quote Bharath Seervi from ESPN, “South Africa completed a 492-run victory in the final Test at the Wanderers [Johannesburg], the biggest victory in terms of runs for any team since 1934.
“There have been three wins by a margin of over 500 runs. The biggest victory in Test history is also against Australia: 675 runs by England in 1928 in Don Bradman’s debut.”
I would like to end this story with a ditty sent to me by a friend in the UK
Musings of an ingenious word Smith
Australia is so morally Bancroft
What they did is in Starc contrast to the spirit of the game
Didn’t anyone Warner about it?
Couldn’t they see it Cummin, Us man?
Even a Lehmann
would have known.
They are no longer Lyons
They are sinking in the Marshes
Oh my Josh! They are Shaun of any respect now
There is so much Paine now.