Cricket: 'Cherry on top' as South Africa dethrone Aussies

By MICHAEL OWEN-SMITH

CAPE TOWN - South Africa are back at the level they need to achieve if they are to topple Australia as the world's best cricketing side.

This far outstrips the value of their 2-0 series win over Pakistan at Newlands on Sunday that enabled them to go top of the ICC's world Test championship table.

United Cricket Board chief executive Gerald Majola hailed the success as "the cherry on the top of South Africa's home test match season". South Africa now have a points average of 1,59 compared to the 1,54 of Australia.

However, because the Test championship table is adjusted on a series-by-series basis, regardless of the number of series played by the competing nations, Australia could quickly regain their top position if they win their series in the West Indies, that immediately follows the World Cup, as well as their home series against Bangladesh.

Australia could quickly regain their top position if they win their series in the West Indies
The South Africans could then overtake them again if they win their away Test series in England from July to September.

This kind of roundabout is going to continue until either Australia or South Africa start to drop points against teams they have won against before. That could be a long time because they are clearly well ahead of the rest of the field at the moment.

South African captain Shaun Pollock was unperturbed that South Africa had taken over the top ranking, even though they had lost home and away to Australia in the space of the last 13 months.

"You only play by the rules," he said.

"When the rules went against us at Edgbaston in 1999 - the tied World Cup semifinal featuring the run out of Allan Donald - we had to accept the conditions as well. If the rules work out that way and make us the top side in the table, we will accept it.

'If the rules work out that way and make us the top side in the table, we will accept it'
"This success is a tribute to a lot of people, including players and coaches, going back to our 1997 series in Pakistan."

Coach Eric Simons, who has been part of a winning run of seven successive Test matches going back to the last test match against Australia, said that there were a lot of positives coming out of the South African performances at the moment.

"We don't want to be judged just by the numbers. We want to be judged by the way that we perform. We are playing very good cricket at the moment and the players must be given credit for that. That is what has really excited us as the coaching staff.

"A lot of the comment that has been made within the team is to play well and that the results will then look after themselves. And that is exactly what has happened.

"Makhaya Ntini has been a good example.

"We said to him before the Bangladesh series that we knew we could bowl them out easily enough, but we wanted to concentrate on bowling balls in the right area. And that is exactly what he has done."

Ntini was named man of the series for his 13 wickets in the two-match series at an average of 19.

He has now taken 93 wickets and should reach a well-deserved century in the two-test series in Bangladesh in April.

ICC TEST CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:


The ICC Test Championship standings after South Africa's series win over Pakistan at Newlands on Sunday (tabulate under - series played, won, lost,
drawn, points, average):


1. South Africa 17 13 3 1 27 1.59


2. Australia 13 9 2 2 20 1.54


3. New Zealand 17 8 5 4 20 1.18


4. Sri Lanka 16 8 6 2 18 1.13


5. England 16 6 6 4 16 1.00


6. India 15 5 6 4 14 0.93


7. West Indies 17 7 9 1 15 0.88


8. Pakistan 16 4 8 4 12 0.75


9. Zimbabwe 16 3 11 2 8 0.50


- Bangladesh 7 - 7 - 0 -


Note: 2 points fror a series win, 1 for a drawn series.

* Sides ranked on average (points divided by series played).

* The initial table in 2001 was constructed from series starting during or after May 1996.

* Bangladesh will not be allocated an average score until they have completed nine series, probably in April 2003.

* The table will be based on a straight points system probably in 2005 once every side has played each other home and away.


- INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS (SOUTH AFRICA)