iafrica.com trawls the record books in search of a Combined Test XI from South Africa’s previous tours Down Under since re-admission. Please note that only performances on Australian soil were taken into consideration, and that all statistics used in the selection process are from tours preceding the current one.

And while it may not make pretty reading for South Africa fans, it does illustrate just how huge a series victory in Oz actually is...

1. Matthew Hayden: The burly Queenslander, known in some parts for applying yoga principles to the game of cricket, is second-highest on the list for most Test runs scored by an individual. The left-handed opener averages 74.5 and has an impressive four tons Down Under against the Proteas.

2. Mark Taylor: Joining Hayden at the top of the order is former Aussie skipper Mark Taylor, who just edges Gary Kirsten (one of South Africa’s better performers with the willow in Australia) for the second opening berth. Also left-handed, Taylor’s average against the tourists is well into the sixties and he has a highest score of 170. ‘Tubby’ Taylor was also an accomplished slip fielder.

3. Ricky Ponting: The current Aussie skipper slots in at first drop, holding the record for most runs against the Proteas. ‘Punter’ has often been a thorn in his opposition’s side, and has four centuries to show for his efforts. Ruthless off the back foot, the right-hander relishes bowling of the faster variety on the bouncy pitches in his homeland. He is also one of the modern game’s great fielders, looking the part in the covers or indeed in the slip cordon.

4. Jacques Kallis: The only South African batsman to crack the nod for this combined team, Kallis brings so much to the table. Methodical and technically brilliant with the bat, often underestimated with the ball and at times sublime in the slips, he is an all-rounder in the truest sense of the word. Kallis averages a shade over 46 and has two centuries and three fifties to his name in Oz.

5. Steve Waugh (captain): Only one man could skipper this team: Stephen Rodger Waugh. The gritty middle-order batsman was psychologically as tough as the Aussie commentators are biased. Despite passing three figures only once, Waugh managed an average pushing 50, and even picked up a handful of sticks against the Proteas.

6. Damien Martyn: With an average against South Africa rivalling Hayden’s incredible effort, Martyn often cashed in on a tired bowling outfit, taking the attack to the visitors to put the game beyond their reach. When in full flow, the confident right-hander was a delight to watch.

7. Adam Gilchrist (wicketkeeper): Of the three players in the running for the wicketkeeper’s spot, not one stands head and shoulders above the others. Gilchrist only just edges Mark Boucher and Ian Healy for the gloves, mainly for his destructive hitting and almost ODI-esque strike-rate down the order.

8. Shaun Pollock: Only the second man in the line-up not sporting an Aussie twang, the red-haired seamer would likely take the new ball. Deceptively quick in his early days and almost monotonously accurate as his impressive career drew to a close, ‘Polly’ claimed more wickets in Australia than any of his countrymen, with a best of 7/87. As a batsman, Pollock timed the ball as well as anyone and is actually tied fourth (with Hansie Cronje) on South Africa’s list for most Test runs Down Under. Interestingly, he also has the most sixes against the home side.

9. Shane Warne: Hate him or hate him (sorry, no typo there), nobody can argue with the legendary leg-spinner’s figures. ‘Warnie’ loved bowling to South Africans (take a bow, Daryll Cullinan) almost as much as he must love cheese burgers. Fizzing leggies, unreadable googlies and that famous flipper accounted for 69 Proteas scalps, with an amazing five five-wicket hauls. Graeme Smith’s troops can be glad their nemesis has retired his spinning finger.

10. Craig McDermott: Despite only facing South Africa three times on the world’s largest island, the fiery McDermott edges Glenn McGrath (whose record isn’t as good as one would have expected) for one of the seamers’ spots. The strong-shouldered Queenslander averaged around 17 with the ball, with a strike-rate of less than 50.

11. Allan Donald: The final piece of the bowling puzzle comes in the form of the tall Free Stater, who claimed 29 Test victims on Australian soil. Lightning quick with a mean streak to boot, Donald was one of the more respected cricketers to tour Down Under.


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