Courtesy: Google
Over the course of the past several years, rather decades, countless South Africans have, without much doubt, tamed the mighty fine Aussie bowling line up. But then it's not been all that easy. That is despite one of the world's most loved and widely respected cricketing entities being laced with renonwed talents, one after another. After all, they were up against the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gillespie and later on, Brett Lee himself and even Mitch Johnson.
Right?
Think of the great Hansie Cronje, to the fine Gary Kirsten and ultimately, Sir Jacques Kallis (well, such an icon deserves to be called so) and not to forget, De Villiers- many have dominated Test charts vs the Australians. The list is endless and endlessly fascinating, particularly today when you think of the class of Bavuma and Markram, and a little before- Faf, all of whom have hit it hard against the mighty Kangaroos.
But while never previously in Test match cricket has any South African, ever, scored a Test Triple against the Australians, it's never been that they have fallen short at entertaining and thrilling in cricket's longest format.
Now, as South Africa are set to face Australia in the World Test Championship final, let's have a look at some of the best knocks by the Proteas batters against the Baggy Greens over the years.
Graeme Pollock
274 can never actually be a small score, neither can it ever be considered to be a light-weight effort with the bat. Well, never especially when such a fighting score comes up against a mighty team like an Australia, right?
What remains, as on date, the finest, greatest batting effort ever by a Protea talent versus the Aussies came at the behest of a true genius at the test match level, Sir Graeme Pollock.
It's a shame that hardly youngsters of today's era know about the great cricket that sir Pollock played back in the day.
But in the 2nd Test, Durban, circa 1970, Pollock, a hugely talented left hander, stayed put for 400 odd deliveries to score his personal best knock of 274. The great Barry Richards, too, scored a hundred from the top order for South Africa.
Expectedly, the hosts won the contest by an inning and 129 runs.
Eddie Barlow
In the 4th Test match played back in the year 1964 at the Adelaide cricket ground, the Proteas' top order flourished under the commanding batting of the great Eddie Barlow, who back then, made 201 of his entire team's 595 run total.
The batting maestro Graeme Pollock made a flourishing 175 in that same Test too, in fact, in the very inning as Barlow's double ton, his highest-ever Test score.
South Africa won that contest by a convincing margin of 10 wickets.
Hashim Amla
He came in fighting or touching distance of what would certainly have been a remarkable double century for him and also for his team, but alas, it wasn't to be. And yet, the events now well back in time, circa 2012 at the WACA, then still lightening fast, suggest Amla's unsullied excellence with the bat.
And why wouldn't it be, when the glorious right hander made 196 at Perth's fast and bouncy pitch and in so doing produced a quality double hundred that came at a strike rate north of 88.
Would you believe it?
It remains, to this day, Amla's best double hundred century knock vs the Australians, a highest individual score against a lordly opponent.
Luckily, back in the 2012-13 series, South Africa had won that contest for the country by 10 wickets.
AB De Villiers
Now, while we love Hashim Amla's quintessentially stylish and graceful 196 at the Perth contest, what must also be reminded to the fans is that, in that very game, AB De Villiers, too, came up with a class act himself. The 169 againtst a potent bowling attack featuring the quartet of Starc, Johnson, Watson and of course, Lyon.
A brilliant, courageous innings that saw many bowlers being removed from the attack, AB, back then, was brilliant by his usual standards.
Moreover, South Africa won that 3rd Test, at WACA by a huge margin of 309 runs.
