South Africa’s tour to Australia- What a Series!!!!!

In Mark Taylor’s words “what a ripperrr!!!!”. it has been a great tour for SA down under & a riveting series as a cricket fan. For cricket buffs like me, this is what dreams are made of. First the test series, possibly the best since Ashes 2005 & now the ODI series which was too close for comfort. The 2 teams were matched man to man. I definitely thought that the Aussies had the edge over the Proteas but what transpired was so damn superb I couldn’t miss a ball bowled. I missed college to watch the games & boy, was I glad I did. It was tremendous action all the way & top class cricket. The game just doesn’t get any better.

Botha was the surprise package for me. Relatively unknown on the international stage, he conquered the last frontier for SA. The Proteas come up with these inspired captain selections. He follows Smith who too came on the stage as a stranger at 21. He was agressive & innovative in his fields & bowled brilliantly. I was flabbergasted at his performances. He took the best from his team. Great going Skip, we loved it. Filling up for Smith, one of the best captains in the world is no mean feat & he has to be lauded.
I thought Ab de Villiers was a flash in the pan but damn, was I wrong! He gave match winning performances both in the test & one dayers & a man who can bat so well in the last innings in a test has to be a player. But definitely the player of the series for SA was J P Duminy. He came in for Ashwell Prince as a replacement but now he’s made himself undroppable. Talk about grabbing your chances!!. The boy is a star, make no doubt about it, & he’s the future of South African cricket I believe. Read my earlier article on him. I was proved right by him in the one dayers n T20s as he went on amassing runs. He can bat to win a match in the last innings of a test & also finish a ODI by hitting 60 off 35 balls with sixes & fours. These kinda players come rare people. Duminy is a gem. Hats off bro…..
But the Proteas won because they played as a team. Performances from seniors like Kallis & Steyn and the young guns Duminy, the Morkel brothers & Duminy with the captaincy of Botha playing a huge part.

The Aussies have a huge task now on their hands. The Kiwis have already arrived & beaten them in the first ODI. They need to regroup & go on the offensive. The brand of attacking cricket they were so famous for is just not being played. I kept waiting for the great Aussie fightback but it just never came. Its not that they don’t have the players since the big guns have retired. I don’t believe that crap. They are a great one day side. Its just a matter of time that they’ll be back. I’m waiting & so is the world……