Statistically, South Africa smashed Australia to smithereens

This is a record for the most cry babies in a series. 3 a new world record+ the coach. Definitely won the verbal / psych battle. Broke the captain down completely.

Johnno the way I remember it that Aussie team were unstoppable... watching poor old Daryll Cullinan having to face Warne... oh man... that just opitimised the gulf between Aus and SA in that era. SA 2008-2018 have had some very special players but I don't think it's an all time great team, there's always one or two key bowlers injured and one or two key batsmen not performing... they just haven't been that consistent and only more recently do they have a quality spinner in the side (thank heavens!!) Also realising that just maybe I'm putting that great Aussie side on more of pedestal than the Aussies do... still I remember the excitement every time our teams faced each other then... to me it really did feel like David v Goliath.

I'm certainly not offended, I just disagree with you. As I understand what you're saying SA relying heavily on only 5 consistent players is somehow unique and an inferior situation, where it's my opinion (note opinion) that only a handful of teams have ever been lucky enough not to need to rely on smaller group of world class players, one of them that Aussie side from the 90's & early 2000's, I just thought maybe you were still trying to measure everyone by that lofty standard... so I diagnosed your condition from my keyboard... either way prescription remains the same, 2 chill pills 2 x a day for about week and you'll be fine.

Jeez it doesn't take much to offend you lot does it. All I do is point out that SA relied heavily on five consistent players to win the series and you carry on like its a terrible insult - who cares? SA is a good side but they ain't perfect.

And I'm sure you're a wonderful and classy human being Johnno as your comments have shown.

often not even them either.. The south african 2008-2018 is as good as aussies 1995-2006

your pathetic geoff

Chin up Johno, you come from a land of short winters, sooner than you think the sun will be out and another summer of cricket will begin again and Australia will win far more than they lose... sure we'll still think about this "Tour From Hell In The Land Of The Uncouth" or "Glorius Historic Series Almost Tarnished By The Visitors From The Land Of The Uncouth" over the next season or 2 but that too will fade. Any Saffa who watched incredulously as Dr Bacher told the nation that Hansie had finally come clean and admitted there was truth in the charges will attest, that sick feeling of disappointment and betrayal takes time to work through but the Proteas carried that yoke for a good while but it too faded, continued World Cup ejections have a way of covering up other scars! See you next tour Johno and I'm sure it will be one helluva contest!

LMAO Geoff, I think you're suffering from AustraliaNinetiesEarlyNoughtiesAlitis... that is the only cricket team I can think of that almost always had world class performances from 1 - 11 and even then not always.

Rabada's behaviour throughout was appalling? In the 3rd and 4th Tests, really? A very young fast bowler is targeted by the opposition on record and in the press, never mind what we didn't hear about on the field! I thought he responded rather well after his let-off... but then my glasses have a particular green tint. We do however agree on one thing, that for his transgressions in the first two tests he should not have been considered for man of the series. Personally I would have like the award to have been given to him and then rescinded due to his behaviour, yes you might have been the best player in the series but we won't condone your behaviour... and any financial reward could have been gifted to charity.

Absolutely and just wait until Cummins gets a chance to play in a team that is firing on all cylinders...

Thanks Anindya for your accurate summation.

Nice one Kersi. Yes one can dispute the set scores in the Tennis analogy but why such a big deal about the reference to Cummins’s success as a consolation prize? The ay I read this article Kersi is not demeaning Cummins effort at all. The fact is that Cummins was the silver lining to an otherwise disastrous outing for Australia except the first Test. It doesn’t matter how you spin it, the result will be the same. Given the disaster this tour was, Cummins’ success is indeed a consolation prize Australia goes home with.

Classy answer Kersi

I like the tennis anology for this series. Test 1 - Australia goes two breaks up early with late innings runs in the first innings and then skittling SA for not a lot. Holds serve in the third innings. SA gets a glad break back with good, if futile, rearguard. 6-3 Test 2 - Australia holds serve in the first innings, SA breaks in second innings with De Villiers and the tail playing a blinder. Rabada gets a another break in the third innings by bowling out the Ozzies cheaply. SA stumbles through the fourth innings to give back half a break. 3-6 Test 3 - SA grinds out a one break lead over the first two innings. Australia implodes spectacularly. 1-6 Test 4 - A thrashing, 0-6

The stats are accurate, but perhaps a good analogy is the marathon. Finding out afterwards who finished in the top spot is very different to following the race kilometre by kilometre, seeing the points at which the runners test each other, which runners fall away, and finally watching the end, Many of the key moments in the tests aren't captured by the sorts of statistics, and if just a few of them had gone Australia's way, the results could have been very different. As a Saffer I doubt very much that the Proteas have finished the series feeling that they walked all over Australia, which is the sense that the statistics give.

Ah, Mr Kersi, you forgot to mention that the Saffers out- captained them, out-foxed them and out-teamed them. And did not cry in the process ?

Australia: Cummins - 21.4 - Australia's best fast bowler of the series Starc - 34.4 Hazlewood - 39.2 Marsh - 42.2 South Africa: Rabada - 19.2 Morkel - 19.6 Philander - 16.8 Ngidi - 15 I think it's more than fair to say "SA smashed Australia Statistically".

The tennis analogy might be 3-6, 6-3, 6-1, 5-0 (ret). While some may not like how Kersi expressed it (I don't share their point of view), his basic point is very hard to argue with. Sth African batsmen had the top 3 spots in the aggregates, 2 of them about double and the 3rd more than 100 clear of the first Australian (admittedly from 1 more game). Bowling wise the wicket taking wasn't as skewed - 23, 17, 16 and 15 to 22, 16, 12 and 12 across the 4 main bowlers - but 3 of those Sth Africans averaged below 20 (almost 3 games worth of wickets), which only Cummins roughly matched. Starc was nudging 35 (behind Sth Africa's 4th bowler), Hazlewood was virtually 40 and Lyon 42. You don't generally go close to winning a series with those sort of bowling averages.

Paul, rather than tennis, let me give an Olympic games analogy. In my opinion: Gold to Rabada. Silver to Markram Bronze to one of these -- AB de Villiers, Elgar, Cummins, Philander, Maharaj. Hats off to Cummins; he played for a demoralized team. At best he may win a Bronze. But not a Gold or a Silver medal. THAT'S my point. I enjoy debating with you, Paul, because you know your cricket and express yourself so well.