Proteas target World No 1 spot in Newlands decider against Australia

South Africa and Australia meet in Cape Town this week for the deciding Test of a series that stands at 1-1, according to IOL. The third and final match gets under way at Newlands on Tuesday.

Australia won the opening Test in Durban. The Proteas hit back in Gqeberha under captain Temba Bavuma to level the contest and set up the decider.

What is at stake at Newlands

No trophy is awarded for the series itself, but the stakes are high. A win would give South Africa a second successive home series victory over Australia. It would also knock Australia off the top of the World Test rankings.

The Proteas have had to defend their status as World Test Champions. They beat Australia in last year’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s, yet IOL notes that some critics still dismissed them as “paper champions”.

Rickelton keeps the focus on the present

Wicketkeeper-batter Ryan Rickelton said the team does not want to look too far ahead. He recalled that Bavuma spoke to the squad after the Lord’s win about leaving a longer-lasting impression and backing up the title by beating the best teams in the world.

Rickelton described Australia as a team that has been number one for a long time. He said beating them in South African conditions would be “massive”, and that reaching the top of the rankings would be “great”. He pointed to the full home summer still to come, and to a possible return to London for the next WTC final in June if things go to plan. On whether this series proves the Proteas are the best, he said: “So ask me that question at the end of June.”

He accepted that the two sides are evenly matched, but said Australia have the edge in recent and past history. “We’re just living to fight another day,” he said.

A familiar scoreline

The 1-1 situation mirrors the teams’ 2018 series, when they also arrived in Cape Town after trading wins in Durban and Gqeberha. Rickelton was not part of that squad, but he said the parallel matters. He added that going into the last game level against a strong opponent is a position the team would have accepted beforehand.

A series win, he said, would give a boost to the players, the coaching staff and the way the team operates. For now, the message from the camp is to stay consistent and take care of the job at hand.

What to remember

• The third Test starts on Tuesday at Newlands, Cape Town.
• The series is level at 1-1.
• A Proteas win would end Australia’s spell as World No 1 in the Test rankings.

This story is based on reporting by IOL.