PROTEAS' GOLDEN ERA IS FINALLY AT AN END

“It feels like that South African team was severely underrated. After losing in Sri Lanka in mid-2006,they did not lose a Test series abroad for nine years”

- Tristan Lavalette

In the mid-2000s, South Africa were struggling. After a highly successful period following their readmission in 1992, South African cricket hadn’t totally recovered from match fixing revelations in 2000 that culminated in revered captain Hansie Cronje being banned for life.

Graeme Smith, aged just 22, was appointed captain in 2003 and had the tough task of uniting South Africa who endured a tough patch for a few years shortly after. South Africa lost five consecutive Tests in the mid2000s to Australia, including embarrassingly losing three straight at home.

They also lost at home to England and away series in India and Sri Lanka. From 2004-2006, South Africa shockingly lost six of nine series, and won only against the West Indies, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Then things began to change. Highly talented youngsters AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla and Dale Steyn started to emerge and under noted hard taskmaster Mickey Arthur, South Africa began to climb up the ladder.

When they went Down Under and beat Australia for the first time in 2008-09, South Africa had ascended to Test’s best. It’s where they would essentially stay until the middle of this decade when things started to wobble with the retirements of Smith and Jacques Kallis.

It feels very much like that South African team is severely underrated. After losing in Sri Lanka in mid-2006, South Africa did not lose a Test series abroad for nine years. Not even Australia’s all-conquering Steve Waugh/early Ricky Ponting teams accomplished anything close to that type of longevity abroad.