Brimming with self-belief, South Africa’s cricketers are intent on extending one of the more impressive streaks to retain their top ranking with victory in next month’s high-stakes three-Test series against Australia.
The South Africans are unbeaten away from home since 2006 and skipper Graeme Smith admits it was his side’s against-the-odds triumph over Australia in 2008-09 that sparked the Proteas’ rise to No.1 in the world.
The 2-1 victory was also Australia’s first home series defeat since succumbing to the mighty West Indies in 1992-93.
“To beat Australia in those stadiums and in those environments was something I don’t think South Africans had dreamt of in a very long time,” Smith said on Monday.
“We certainly took a lot out of that. It probably took us a little bit of time for us to recover from those highs.
“But since that return leg from Australia, we’ve been pretty steady and consistent in our performances and maybe that was the stepping stone to a lot of the success that we’ve had.”
South Africa finally seized the No.1 ranking in Test cricket with a 2-0 series win over England in August and Smith said they were acutely aware that Australia would be bent on snatching back top spot with success over the Proteas.
“We understand that this is a big challenge for us coming to Australia again and to win,” he said.
“There’s a few unknown factors for us. A Gabba Test is something we haven’t really experienced.
“Being November, too, in Australia is something we need to adapt to from a condition point of view and we need to maximise our preparation and make sure as a team we come together pretty quickly and understand what it’s going to take to be successful here.”
South Africa will warm up with a three-day match against Australia A starting at the SCG on Friday, with the first Test getting underway in Brisbane on Friday week.
As in the England series, Smith and coach Gary Kirsten spoke of the importance of winning the “pressure moments”.
“Every Australia-South Africa Test matches are on knife edges, so you can’t afford to relax,” Smith said.
“Obviously winning here four years ago certainly helps in the self-belief factor, knowing that you’ve overcome a hurdle before.
“Winning in someone else’s backyard, it’s a tough thing to do and that challenge is something that excites us.”