For those who grew up in the 1990s and 2000s, a series against Australia probably brings about anxiety and dare we say, post-traumatic stress disorder. In those days Australia was the best in the world and, while South Africa was good, they were never good enough to overturn Australia on a consistent basis.
Led by characters like Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting Australia were a brilliant outfit. They had a psychological edge over South Africa; Shane Warne mesmerized our batsmen; their top six were incredible and their bowling attack was relentless. There were rare games when South Africa found some magic and managed wins (remember the famous Fanie De Villiers Test at the SCG in 1994 where SA won by five runs, or the remarkable 438 ODI in 2006), but for the most part it was Australia who bagged win after frequently traumatic win.
But times have changed, which makes the current ODI series Down Under such a joy to watch. As we head into the second game of the series on Friday, the Proteas are favourites to win and, dare we say it, the ODI tables seem to have turned completely with all psychological damage from the past seemingly banished for good. Indeed, if the Proteas win one of the next two ODI’s they will claim the series, and if they do that it will mean they’ve ended up victorious in five consecutive bilateral ODI series against Australia – a run that will go back over a decade.
In the opener in Cairns on Tuesday it was Bavuma and company who got everything right. First up, they read the wicket right. It wasn’t an easy batting track but at no stage did the batsmen panic or try to force the pace. They played with a calm confidence that sent the message, ‘we are in control here’ and they built a very good score. The key in sport is to ignore the uncontrollable, and at no stage did they try to force the pace unnecessarily in an effort to hit a score that would have been par at SuperSport Park. They played the conditions, and they played them well.
After being asked to bat first South Africa saw three batters pass 50 and a further two end north of 30. Australia had one batsman score higher than 50 and one go past 30. It was no wonder then that the Proteas won by 98 runs.
As was the case with the Australian sides of old, there was no sign of panic from South Africa when the opposition got off to a flyer. Travis Head and Mitch Marsh added 60 for the first wicket in just seven overs, but what followed next is best described as therapy. Where once it was Warne who had the South African batsmen in tangles, on Tuesday it was the ICC’s latest number one ranked ODI bowler, Keshav Maharaj who was almost unplayable, as he returned figures of five for 33 in his ten overs.
What made Maharaj’s spell so compelling is the fact that the best top order batsmen Australia had to offer simply could not play him. He didn’t pick up his wickets to great catches on the midwicket fence, he clean-bowled Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Aaron Hardie while Alex Carey and Marnus Labuschagne were trapped LBW. That’s five Australia batters who were not able to lay bat on ball to a Maharaj delivery.
The added bonus was Prenelan Subrayen’s dismissal of Travis Head who was stumped by Ryan Rickelton – where once again, it should go without saying, he too failed to connect with the ball.
South Africa are in a strong place as they rebuild their ODI side for the 2027 World Cup, which they will host. The biggest change, led by coach Shukri Conrad and captain Temba Bavuma, is a focus on themselves and what they can control. This Proteas side is not arrogant or over-confident. They go about their work quietly, aim to improve, and enjoy the game.
It hasn’t always been this way. South Africa once cast themselves as plucky underdogs, a role that by definition depends on someone else. Later they tried to mimic Australia’s combative “mental disintegration” style. Both approaches drew their energy from opponents, not themselves. The current Proteas have moved past that. By keeping their attention inward, they have become steadier, sharper and stronger.
Not long ago an ODI series win in Australia would have been hard to imagine. Now, as South Africa head into a big weekend of battles against Australia, a series win (or dare we even say a whitewash), should not come as a surprise, it should be expected.
