Proteas’ tour to Australia: 10 things to get excited about

It has been a great week for South Africans, as our national cricket team, the Proteas, reclaimed the number one spot on the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) One Day International (ODI) rankings. This means they are now number one in the world in both the Test and ODI format of the gentleman’s game. This feat occurred after they won the ODI series against New Zealand, 2-0.

There is still more cricketing action to anticipate, as the Proteas’ series against Australia begins on November 5. They will play three Twenty20 (T20s) Internationals, followed by five ODIs.

Here are just a few of the things you as a Proteas supporter, critic or general cricket fan can look forward to during the upcoming cricket series.

1. Two rival, cricketing giants collide – Whenever South Africa and Australia are heard in the same sentence, there is already a build-up of excitement, just because of the great competition these two teams bring to the game. Australia and South Africa are top-ranked teams in the cricketing world, and the contest is sure to be great!

2. The intense rivalry between Mitchell Johnson and Dale Steyn – It will be a battle between two fast-bowling legends, Mitchell Johnson and Dale Steyn, and their rivalry is sure to come to the fore during the tour. Both these bowlers have a fiery personality, with bold and icy glares after being hit all over the ground by batsmen. This duo’s rivalry is certainly going to spark many interesting tweets and memes.

3. The atmosphere of a passionate home ground, with visiting supporters thrown into the mix – The unwavering home support of Australia will impact on the Australians’ confidence level, and the passion of the visiting supporters will be welcomed by the Proteas. For a cricketing nation as proud as Australia, this series is most likely the best early Christmas gift they have received.

4. De Kock and Amla’s explosive partnership – The Proteas undeniably have a talented line-up of batsmen in the squad, and what a way to begin a batting innings with two of South Africa’s batting greats, Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla. The combination of Amla’s patient temperament and masterful stroke-play, coupled with De Kock’s no-time-to-waste motto provides an action-filled start to the South African innings, which the audience will certainly be thrilled about.

5. A trial of what’s to come in the World Cup – The series occurs a mere three months before the Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. Matches will be played in both New Zealand and Australia, the two co-hosts of the international cricket showcase. The series therefore acts as the perfect trial before the World Cup and will also provide insight into the respective teams’ preparation and adaptation to the pitches.

6. A test of spin for the Australians from Tahir – Although the Australian pitches tend to favour pace bowlers, it will be quite intriguing to see what Imran Tahir has up his sleeves for the Australian batsmen. Tahir’s best quality is that he adds variety to the South African squad

7. Another opportunity for AB de Villiers to impress on a captaining and performance level – Captain Fantastic’s leadership skills will be tested as the series gets underway later next month. Many Protea die-hards will hope that he focuses on instilling stability and consistency within the batting line-up especially the lower order. The SA Cricketer of the year looks set to continue his exceptional batting and fielding form if the New Zealand series is anything to go by.

8. Imran Tahir’s celebration antics – On the lighter side of things, first class entertainment will be enjoyed by cricket enthusiasts as they will be thrilled by Proteas’ bowler, Imran Tahir passionate and smile-inducing celebration antics. It is rather impossible to sit through and watch his post wicket-taking behaviour without feeling a mighty sense of South African pride.

9. Eye candy in the form of Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and David Miller – Even if you aren’t much of a cricket person, this series is appealing because of the fine, local and foreign sporty lads included in this tour. Watch out for some new haircuts and bearding styles as the tour continues.

10. Appreciating the fact that cricket season is back – This is what most cricketing fans are pleased about. The cricket season is back, everything is merry in the world and what better way for it to begin with an Australian tour by the Proteas?

‘Chokes’ aside, let the games begin.