KEY POINTS:
A potentially momentous five days begin at the Sydney Cricket Ground today.
Who is the top team in test cricket at the moment? It's not Australia, that's for sure.
So, after securing the series in Melbourne this week, to take a 2-0 lead in the three-test match series,
it must be South Africa right?
But what about India? After all, they did the Australians over late last year 2-0 in a four-match series and gave them a real tussle in the acrimonious series in Australia last season.
In terms of a decider, India and South Africa aren't due to meet until February next year, in India.
A pity, but South Africa, with their jaw set determinedly, can join elite company if they make it 3-0 in Sydney early next week.
Only two teams have beaten Australia in Australia in a series of more than one test and kept their hosts winless. Ever. England won the Ashes 2-0 in a six-test rubber in 1970-71, and the West Indies beat them 2-0 in a best-of-five in 1979-80.
Since December 1989, Australia have won 28 series at home, drawing three, with India, New Zealand (in 2001-02) and South Africa. None have been lost until now.
So while New Zealand and the West Indies work their way through the next couple of ODIs today in Christchurch and in Wellington on Wednesday, most cricket eyes in this country will be drawn to the contest over the water.
In most circumstances, you could envisage the visiting team mentally easing off, the job having been done. But this South African side are made of stern stuff, as has been in evidence repeatedly over their character-laden wins in Perth and Melbourne.
They'll know that if they win in Sydney it will put them top of the test rankings. How's that for an incentive.
Test cricket, which a few months ago cut a downcast figure as Twenty20 took off, has had a resurgence. The India-Australia, and Australia-South Africa series have put fresh colour in its cheeks. Add in England's decision to return for two tests to India after the terror attacks in Mumbai and it's been a strong end to the year.
Out of that decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board has grown a bout of warm fuzzies with the Indian board, with whom they had been having a verbal punch-up a short time earlier over all sorts of Indian Premier League-inspired issues.
Now the countries are poised to sign a deal for regular five-test series, plus have a friendlier relationship over English players appearing in the IPL, and England hosting IPL games and a Champions League Twenty20 series.
In addition, they are united in opposing an Australian move to ditch the Future Tours Programme, which ends in 2012, and replace it with a test championship, using neutral venues and restricting lightweights Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to only hosting matches, rather than loss-making away tests.
There are concerns for New Zealand over all this. In no particular order, India, Australia, South Africa and England are the big four of world cricket at the moment, the first three on playing abilities or financial clout, or both.
In England's case, they're no better than Sri Lanka or Pakistan - remember them? Used to be a decent test team, but haven't been sighted for over a year - but do have plenty of money and invariably get themselves a seat at the top table, whether justified on pure playing terms or not.
You can't have an FTP or a test championship if no one will visit one of the nine countries presently playing tests. Zimbabwe are restricted to occasional ODIs only. New Zealand are due in Pakistan at the end of this year. Don't expect that to go ahead.
That means bi-lateral arrangements coming back to centre stage, and the big four will make sure they have the best deals. The others - notably Sri Lanka, New Zealand, West Indies and Pakistan - need to be on their toes to avoid feeling the squeeze.
