Aussies back in full force
With their recent series wins over Pakistan and India, the Proteas strengthened their position as the best test cricket team in the world.
One big challenge remains for Graeme Smith and his men in the current season though; the coming tour of the ‘new’ Australian team, who will visit South Africa shortly after their success against England in the recent Ashes series.
It is no secret that Australia’s cricket team struggled for a year or two after the retirement of a number of superstars that formed the backbone of their team for many years. Their recent performance against England in the Ashes series showed, however, that this former world number one team is ready to fight back and recapture the top spot in the world rankings.
The Aussies will start their tour to South Africa on 5 February with a four-day warm-up game against a South African XI. Cricket lovers in Pretoria will then have the privilege to see the first test in a series of three at SuperSport Park in Centurion from 12 to 16 February. The second test will be played in Port Elizabeth from 20 to 24 February and the third and last test is scheduled for Newlands in Cape Town from 1 to 5 March.
No one-day test will be played on this tour, but Australia will conclude their tour with a series of three T20 games against the Proteas. The first game will take place at St George’s Park in Port Elizabeth on 9 March. The second game will be played in Durban on 12 March and the tour will end with their last T20 game at SuperSport Park in Centurion again on 14 March.
Pretorians can, therefore, look forward to plenty of international cricket action before the end of the current season.
