SAF the current best test team?

[swami1984]

As of now, Oz has lost a lot of good players, Eng chokes as usual, Ind has its own problems in ageing stars such as Kumble, SL is moving up the ladder but has to deal with injuries to Malinga etc..so does that make South Africa the current best test squad (ignoring the actual ICC ratings, which have Oz on top)? IMO all theyre lacking is a good spinner but they make up for it with excellence in other departments

[Ram]

Not until they beat Aus in Aus and Ind in Ind.

[Dravid]

its still oz

[swami1984]

Not until they beat Aus in Aus and Ind in Ind.

my point being....they beat Ind in SAF and drew in Ind, so theyre kinda better than Ind if you look at it from the head-to-head perspective...they lost to Oz both home and away, but that was in '05-'06, when Oz has McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist

[DadaRocks]

Only SA is looking to challenge Aus. India & England r just pretenders

[King Tendulkar]

They are no 3 still 1. Australia 2. India 3. SA 4. SL Rest are VERY average!

[Predator_05]

Let's not get carried away. England are a shambles at present - India also beat them at this same time last year. SA need to prove their mettle against AUS - something which India have done already. Both teams will play AUS during the upcoming season - India play them at home in October, and SA away in December.

[Bumper]

Without doubt, SA are the second best Test team at the moment. They look like a very balanced side. Their recent subcontinental exploits point to a changing trend in their fortunes. Their real test will come when they face the Aussies in Tests. It wont be as much a test of their cricketing abilities, as it is of their mental fortitude. I only recall great past Saffie teams, reduced to pulp, when they face up the Aussies. This Saffie team has the potential to topple the Aussies, as the current Aussie team looks slightly weaker, without a quality spinner. But something tells me that Saffies will have their a$ses handed to them, in the upcoming Sashes.

[Cricketics]

nope, they aren't even second best. Defeating england back to back doesn't really mean they are best. i bet this same south african team ends up touring sri lanka in 2 months time, then they gonna struggle against mendis and murali and will be thrashed just like how always they are in sri lanka. they need to lift their test performance against australia, they never do that, they always struggle against them in test arena. never won the test in australia in ages.. let's see what they will do this time

[King Tendulkar]

Without doubt' date=' SA are the second best Test team at the moment. .[/quote'] No way. india are no 2 They have done jack against no 1 team in aussies and have crumbled in to submission against them, we have matched them and faced them head on. WE ARE NO 2

[punjabi_khota]

Even if we manage to win 1 test in the current series, we will be better. In all probability, they will do poorer if they were to visit SL right now, and they aren't going to do better than us in OZ. We beat Eng. in Eng too.

[fineleg]

beating SL in SL and Aus in Aus will be the bar.

[cowboysfan]

as i said in an earlier thread,the saffers are a good spinner away from being the best side-better than india.

[prince40]

SAF is not even the 2nd best team, its behind aus and india u can be sure when SA play aus they will choke as always and get thrashed

[King]

SAF is clearly the second best. They will of course struggle to beat Australia both at home and away but they have done extremely well in the last few series' to confirm their second best tag. They drew with India at home 1-1 recently and have beaten England in England. The last test series they lost was against Sri Lanka in 2006 from my memory. Since they have beaten NZ, India and Pakistan at home. Won against West Indies and England away from home. Drew 1-1 against India in India. That is some impressive results in the recent past. England as usual is more hype than material. Last year they won against West Indies hands down but lost to India. This year they won against NZ hands down and now they have lost to South Africa. They can't even complain about missing players. Freedi was around, Hoggard was dropped and so was Harmison. Their batting was full strength and no excuses whatsoever for losing at home. A team that is losing at home every year is not a good test team. India on the other hand has the following results from 2006 : England in India Test Series 2005/06 drawn 1-1 (3) India in West Indies Test Series 2006 India 1-0 (4) India in South Africa Test Series 2006/07 South Africa 2-1 (3) India in Bangladesh Test Series 2007 India 1-0 (2) Pataudi Trophy (India in England) 2007 India 1-0 (3) Pakistan in India Test Series 2007/08 India 1-0 (3) Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India in Australia) 2007/08 Australia 2-1 (4) South Africa in India Test Series 2007/08 drawn 1-1 (3) India in Sri Lanka Test Series 2008 - India has won twice overseas in the same period one against West Indies, England and Bangladesh. At home they have won against Pakistan and drew against South Africa. The records look pretty similar but if India can come up trumps against Sri Lanka, there is no doubt India will be clear no.2

[MalikBrother]

SA needs to beat AAG first. :stickyman:

[Cricketics]

SA needs to beat AAG first. :stickyman:

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[DadaRocks]

No way India is 2nd best...India cudnt beat SA & Eng at home on pitches tailored made for their spinners.

[swami1984]

SA needs to beat AAG first. :stickyman:

which they did in Pak

[Predator_05]

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