Proteas top guns relishing life at summit of Test cricket
Sydney, Feb 6: South African cricketers are enjoying looking down from their number one spot in the Test rankings with several of them also placed well at the top in the individual positions.
A 211-run win in the first Test against Pakistan at the Wanderers Stadium was their fourth win in a row, all achieved within four days, and it extended their unbeaten run to 13 matches, going back more than a year, News.com.au reports.
Not only South Africa is on top of the Test team rankings, they dominate the individual categories too, the paper added.
Hashim Amla tops the batting list, with AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis also in the top ten, while Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are the two top-ranked bowlers, with Morne Morkel at number nine. In addition, Kallis is the leading all-rounder.
Amla said it's been a great year for the Proteas squad, and to be honest he still doesn't think that he am the best batsman in our team, adding what has been most pleasing for them has been the all-round contribution from everyone in the squad.
In form quick Steyn, who destroyed Pakistan by taking six for eight in the first innings and had match figures of 11 for 60, added every player wants to do well for this team.
Steyn also said they are really pushing on for something at the moment, adding they have managed to bowl teams out for under 50 and with the bat they have managed to have some big sessions where we have piled on the runs.
Despite being in his 17th season of international cricket, Kallis said that at the age of 37 he is enjoying the game more than ever, adding when he wakes up in the morning, he is keen to practice and play, not only because the team is winning but because of the environment that has been created.
Meanwhile, Smith said it was important to keep setting a high standard and being clinical and understanding the demands of the team was equally important.