The last time SA lost a Test series in Australia‚ Graeme Smith was their captain and Thabo Mbeki was the country’s president, writes Telford Vice.That was in January 2005‚ when SA drew in Perth, but lost in Melbourne and Sydney.They have since ventured Down Under twice‚ with Smith leading them to victory both times to mark SA’s only Test series wins there in all 10 attempts going back to 1910.So the class of 2016-17 would have felt the weight of history on their shoulders when they jetted out of OR Tambo International on Sunday.Happily, seven members of the squad and one of their coaches have been there and done that‚ some of them twice.Hashim Amla‚ JP Duminy‚ Dale Steyn and Morné Morkel were part of both of those successful campaigns.Dean Elgar‚ Faf du Plessis‚ Vernon Philander and Neil McKenzie — now SA’s batting coach — have one such triumph in the credibility bank. Of the rest‚ Rilee Rossouw‚ Kyle Abbott‚ Quinton de Kock‚ Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi were among those who dri...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.